


Quite the Double Act

by lupinenthusiast



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Bisexual Remus Lupin, Character Development, Character(s) of Color, Deamus, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Draco Malfoy Redemption, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, First Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay Sirius Black, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Lots of Angst, M/M, Marauders, Music, New Marauders in Golden Trio Era (Harry Potter), Nonbinary Character, Other, POV Alternating, POV Harry Potter, POV Original Character, POV Remus Lupin, POV Sirius Black, POV Third Person Omniscient, Panic Attacks, Past James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Person of Color Harry Potter, Person of Color Hermione Granger, Recreational Drug Use, Remus Lupin Lives, Remus Lupin Needs a Hug, Second War with Voldemort, Severus Snape Bashing, Sexuality Crisis, Sirius Black Free from Azkaban, Sirius Black Lives, Slow Burn, The Golden Trio Era (Harry Potter), Trans Female Character, Werewolf Remus Lupin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:34:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 281,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24746896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lupinenthusiast/pseuds/lupinenthusiast
Summary: titled inspired by the quote: "Never saw one without the other, did you?... Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!"AU where Remus and Sirius decide they want to have a child of their own after hearing about Lily's pregnancy. Marlene is a willing surrogate, and nine months later, both children are both born. They grow up together for a short amount of time, but then the Potters are betrayed and Remus is left alone to raise their child.basically if you want to re-read the books but also want wolfstar lol. will be diverging from canon on several key points. (Sirius and Remus both live, Harry will move in with Remus and Sirius after year three)This is a rewrite. I've changed canonical quotes to fit my own story. If I come across something JKR had a character say that was problematic, I'll erase it. But I won't ignore valid character flaws.on hiatus for a bit. not abandoned by my means, just need time to write without another schedule on my back.*not a fan of JKR or her disgusting views. there will be lots of LGBTQIA representation in this fic.*https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4B1TTEPAWQ72XwRmn1pWZO?si=IfjXuJ9WQNi2rblGn-PSBA
Relationships: Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley & Original Character(s), Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Lavender Brown/Parvati Patil, Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley, Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 215
Kudos: 265





	1. Take My True Love By the Hand - Before

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I've ever written so please be nice :)
> 
> I'm also not British so if some things are off I apologize in advance and welcome you to correct me (seriously, I want to know).

"Are you sure mate? I mean, no offense, but it's a pretty big responsibility." James Potter said, straightening his glasses and looking at Sirius Black in the seat opposite him.

Across the table someone snorted.

"Fuck off Moony." James said without taking his eyes off Sirius.

"That wasn't me." Remus Lupin said, stifling a grin.

James looked around the table to find his wife, Lily Potter, doubled over in silent laughter.

"Lily!" James said in mock outrage. "Back me up here!"

Lily straightened in her seat, and forced a neutral expression on her face. "Oh James, they're doing exactly what we are. Only intentionally." she said, grinning slightly. "I think it's wonderful, Remus." she said as she reached across the table and placed a hand on Remus'.

"Thank you Lily." Remus said, grinning widely.

"And Marlene you're really going to be a surrogate for them?" Lily said, sitting back in her seat and looking at the blonde beside her.

Marlene Mckinnon snorted. "I mean, I already said I would if they asked. I didn't think they'd ask so soon but.." she shrugged. "I'm fine with it."

"She knows that she'll have to be out of action for a while." Sirius said, speaking for the first time since he broke the news. "But carrying the child of the beautiful Sirius Black and the marvelous Remus Lupin is far more important than fighting death eaters isn't that right Marly?"

Marlene rolled her eyes. "Don't push it, Black. It's really only happening because I said I would when we were all discussing whose kid would win in a battle to the death and I'm a woman of my word. I also still think mine and Dorcas' would crush all you bitches by the way."

Dorcas Meadowes nodded from beside her. "Without a doubt."

"Um incorrect." James began. "The spawn of Lily and James Potter will basically be the next Jesus. You bitches have nothing on our kid."

"I'm sorry, the 'spawn'?" Lily said, a look of disgust on her face.

"Okay, let's not start this again." Peter Pettigrew said with a small smile. "Congratulations Moony, Pads. I'm really happy for you."

Remus and Sirius looked at each other and smiled. In their locked hands under the table, Sirius ran his thumb along Remus' and Remus squeezed Sirius' hand. "Thanks Wormtail." Remus said to Peter, taking his eyes off Sirius. "That means a lot."

"Hey wait now, I'm happy too don't get me wrong, our kids growing up together is going to be the definition of awesome. I was just saying it's a big responsibility." James said with a grin.

"We know mate." Sirius began, taking a deep breath and squeezing Remus' hand under the table in preparation for what he was about to say. "But we can do it. We want to do it. With everything that's going on right now, we think that having something good will help. Not just Remus and I, but all of us. I think we need to be reminded what we're fighting for. When you told me Lily was pregnant I thought my heart was going to explode. It reminded me that we aren't just fighting to stop Voldemort. We're fighting to live our own lives. How better to fight than to bring more life into the world? We've really thought about this Prongs, I mean, we've talked about having kids together since 5th year but we've actually thought this through. How often do you hear me say that?" Sirius finished, smiling slightly.

James smiled back. "You're right Padfoot. I'm happy for you. You too Moony. I honestly don't know what I'd do without the pair of you and the thought of having a mini Padfoot, while slightly horrifying, is pretty cute."

They all laughed and then cringed slightly when realization of exactly what a mini Padfoot would be like hit.

Reading the room as always, Lily smiled and poured herself more water from a pitcher on the table. "Here's to hoping the kid will come out more like Remus." Lily said, holding up her glass and taking a drink.

Everyone smiled and imitated her, even Sirius, who could not deny a mini Padfoot might be too much to handle.

**

Later on that night after Dorcas and Marlene had left for their small flat, Sirius excused himself from the couch where Remus, Lily, and Peter were having a rather heated discussion about whether or not McGonagall and Sprout had been in a passionate lesbian relationship. Remus and James' eyes followed Sirius as he left for the back porch and Remus made a face that James understood to mean 'go'. Excusing himself as well, James stood and walked out to the back porch where Sirius was smoking a cigarette and staring at the small crescent moon that was hanging in the sky.

"You'll have to give those up when your baby comes, you know." James said as he pulled one out of the pack that Sirius had offered to him as soon as he'd stepped out on the porch.

Sirius snorted. "So will you."

"Eh, I'm not in love with them like you are." James said, waiting for the friendly banter that normally came when he pressed this subject. When Sirius uncharacteristically had no come back, James cleared his throat. "What's on your mind, Pads? I thought you were happy about this."

Sirius frowned and flicked his cigarette in the beer can he'd brought outside with him. "Oh please, of course I'm happy about this. It was my idea really, having a kid. I think it's going to be great for all of us."

James raised an eyebrow. "But?" he said, looking at his friend who was still frowning at a beer can. Sirius remained silent. James sighed. "Look, mate, if you don't want to talk about it-"

"You have no idea the kind of talks I had to have with Moony for this. It's like he's convinced himself he doesn't deserve anything good. I mean, we did research. The curse isn't fucking genetic so you'd think he'd cool it on the 'I'm a monster' bullshit but he doesn't. He wants this as bad as I do though. I can see it on him, he's always wanted this. It just makes me wonder what he'd be like with the kid if I got killed-"

"Stop it, Sirius." James said, voice suddenly firm. "Remus wouldn't mistreat- I know that's not what you meant. I misspoke, bloody hell, no need to rip my throat out." he said as Sirius tried to interrupt, a murderous expression on his face. "I'm sorry. But we both know that no matter what Remus thinks of himself, he always puts the people he cares about in front of those opinions. And he'd be a unbearable to be around but you know eventually Remus would be okay if you died. Lord knows he's great at stuffing his emotions down when something else needs his attention. And you'd be okay if he died."

Sirius snorted.

"You know what I mean." James said, rolling his eyes. "I know you'd be all sulky Padfoot. But you'd do good by the kid. And so would Moony. You know that Pads. And I know I said that shit about it being a big responsibility but if anyone can do it its you and Moony. Moony's got mom written all over him and you can turn into a fucking dog for the kid to play with. You two got this." he finished with a smile.

Sirius looked at James. He was leaning with both arms on the porch's railing, the cigarette he'd taken from Sirius when he'd first stepped outside long gone in Sirius' beer can. The moonlight hit his brown skin at an odd angle, making him glow slightly and his glasses glare. His hazel eyes still remained glued on Sirius, full of concern, and Sirius felt his heart swell even though James had, once again, skirted past the fact that he was the biggest mom friend of them all. What the hell would he ever do without his best friend?

Sirius smiled. "I know Prongs. You're gonna be a good dad too, you know."

James snorted. "Fuck yea I am. The absolute best."

Sirius rolled his eyes and they both walked back inside, leaving the beer can on the railing for Lily to bitch about later.

Back in the living room, Remus and Lily were talking quietly while Peter lay on the couch with his feet propped up, watching the conversation with a blank look on his face. Sirius walked around to the couch where his boyfriend sat and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, Moony. Let's get home and make something to turkey baster Mckinnon with tomorrow."

"Ugh Padfoot shut the fuck up." Peter said from the couch, moaning and rubbing his eyes.

Remus laughed. "Not our fault you got too plastered to handle Pads' everyday language." he said as he stood up from the couch, knees cracking slightly. He took the hand that was wrapped on his shoulder in his own and grabbed the rather rugged-looking outdoors coat from the side of the couch.

Lily stood. "You two heading home then?" she said, picking up the different beer cans that littered the dining room coffee table and handing them to James who frowned as she pointed a finger at the trash can. Mumbling, he walked away to dispose of them.

"Yeah I think we might as well. Don't know when the next assignment will be and either way-" Remus yawned and ran thin fingers through his tawny hair. "I'm beat."

"Alright then. You two be safe. Remember dinner Wednesday. Floo us if you can't make it." Lily said as James walked back in the room and gave the pair a small smile and a wave before turning to Peter on the couch and chucking a throw blanket at his face.

"You're sleeping here, Wormy." he said as Peter gave a muffled cry and fought to get the tangled blanket off his face. "You're too drunk to Floo or apparate."

"Mk mom." Peter said, throwing the blanket out over his legs as he curled up on the couch and closed his eyes.

"Will you stop calling me that?" James exclaimed as Lily, Sirius, and Remus all laughed.

"Alright, we're going home." Sirius said when the laughter died down and James stopped listing off things that made him totally NOT the mom friend. "Bye Lils, Prongs, Wormy. Love you all." Remus said as he allowed Sirius to steer his sleepy boyfriend to the door, open it and walk out into the night to disapparate back to their cottage.

"Love you too." They chorused back as Sirius shut the door, took Remus' hand, and disapparated.

**

"Sirius stop." Remus said as he followed Sirius out into their small living room. Hannah was clinging onto Remus's shirt as he held her on his hip, one arm wrapped around her small body. Sirius was circling the room, looking for his jacket, mumbling to himself about broken charms and coats.

"You can't leave Sirius. You don't know what's happened." Remus said as he watched with concern when Sirius found the leather jacket he'd been looking for, shrugged it on and started towards the door.

"Sirius stop!" Remus said again, his normally calm voice mingled with a growl, startling both Sirius and Hannah, who began to whine softly into her father's worn pajama shirt. "You can't leave." Remus repeated as Sirius turned to look at him with blank eyes. "You don't know what's happened and-"

"I know exactly what's happened." Sirius growled, his voice uncharacteristically hard. He turned and yanked the door open with force, causing the small table that held their keys to fall over with a loud thump. Hannah began to cry. For the first time since Sirius had woken up in a sweat and began running around the house looking for shoes and jackets, Sirius' eyes flashed with emotion and he walked over to his family and put a hand on Hannah's cheek, immediately stopping her crying as she smiled and grabbed one of his fingers with a chubby fist.

"Tell me." Remus said, his voice shaking slightly. "We can figure this out together. We're a family Sirius, you can't leave."

Sirius looked up into Remus' face and was not surprised to find his eyes full of tears. His heart lurched. Sirius wasn't just scaring Hannah.

"I'm sorry Remus." Sirius said and he turned around and walked out of the door, leaving Remus holding Hannah with tears rolling down his cheeks. Remus remained frozen as he heard the motorbike start up and Sirius took off into the sky without a backwards glance. Hannah began to cry again and Remus took his other arm and moved the toddler so they were face to face. He smiled as she reached up to his face and began to play with the tears that were still falling from his eyes. He walked over to the couch and sat down, placing Hannah on his lap as she began to squirm and look around the room.

"Daddy.." she said, a tantrum probably not far away if her father didn't appear soon.

"I know." Remus said as his eyes remained on the struggling child in his lap. "He'll be back, love." he said and he took her up into his arms, putting her head in the crook of his elbow and grabbing a small blanket from beside him. Hannah was much too big to be rocked to sleep but she never complained and it worked almost every time. He tucked the blanket around her small body and began to sing as his eyes found the open door and glued themselves to the sky.

"Take my true love by her hand, lead her through the town." Remus mumbled, the tune barely on his lips as his eyes remained fixed on the sky.

"Say goodbye to everyone." 

Hannah's eyes closed.

"Goodbye to everyone." 

They were alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song at the end is 'Take My True Love By the Hand' by The Limeliters.


	2. Baby Blue - Year One

Hannah only woke up because of the sun. She'd tried everything in her power to block the small window in the corner of her room from letting light in but it always seemed to move just where her eyes were, waking her up every morning without fail. She'd asked her Dad for blackout curtains after walking around in the small town's supermarket and spotting a set, but he'd only snorted and said if she'd gotten them he wouldn't see her until dinner. Hannah knew that he was probably right but it still made her mad and she'd pouted for 3 isles until her Dad grabbed a rather large roll of cookie dough and threw it in the cart, laughing when she immediately warmed to him again. But combined, they'd eaten almost all of the cookie dough in one sitting and the sliver of light still came up every morning to attack her eyes. She turned over to look at the small alarm clock on her bedside table.

9 o'clock.

Moaning and grumbling about how dinner wasn't really that late in the day, she rolled out of bed, stumbled sleepily to her door, yanked it open and walked into the small hallway bathroom that stood right across from her own room.

Hannah went about her business, brushing her teeth, washing her face, pondering a shower just out of pure boredom. They weren't doing anything today but she'd showered last night before bed and her Dad complained if he had to buy conditioner more than once in two weeks. Sighing, she looked in the mirror. Hannah liked the way she looked for the most part. She had medium-length, silky, black hair that fell naturally in waves down her shoulders, bright amber eyes that she loved because they were identical to her Dad's, a small pattern of freckles that splattered her nose and cheeks, and a short nose that her Dad liked to put one finger on and say 'bop' when she said something sarcastic. But she didn't really look at herself that much. She didn't give her appearance a lot of thought if she was perfectly honest. But the other day she'd seen a girl at the bookstore that she and her father went to religiously that had short bangs that covered her forehead. They were cool. And suddenly Hannah realized that she would very much like to cover up her forehead.

Opening the door to the bathroom she bounded down the hall and to the staircase where she paused and peered into her Dad's room, looking for his long figure wrapped up in the blankets that lay on his bed in a pile. When she was sure he wasn't there, she grinned to herself before jumping up on the banister to the staircase and sliding down, landing on both feet in their small sitting room. She frowned slightly when he was not sitting in either of the comfy chintz armchairs or the small couch that they'd arranged to sit on opposite sides of the room, mock clapping and rolling his eyes before telling her to stop doing that and go eat breakfast. She walked into the dining room and found him there, fast asleep with one arm propped up on the table to cushion his head. Laughing quietly, she poked him with one finger, causing him to stir sleepily and look up and smile at her.

"Good morning, puppy." He said as he stretched and reached up with one large hand to tousle her hair.

"Good morning, daddy. Falling asleep at the table again I see." Hannah said with a smile as she walked around to the kitchen, poured herself a small cup of coffee, then walked back and sat in the seat opposite her father.

Remus smiled. "Yes I suppose so. Stayed up a bit too late reading, guess that's what I get." he said before looking at the coffee in his daughter's hands and grimacing. "I wish you wouldn't drink that, you're too young to be a caffeine addict."

"I didn't know coffee had an age limit." Hannah retorted, kicking her feet underneath the table while sipping at her mug.

"It doesn't. But if you already have enough energy in your body to power a small town for an hour, you probably shouldn't drink things that give you even more energy." Remus said, smiling at his daughter, who he could see was indeed already unconsciously bouncing in her seat.

"Hey! I do not have that much energy. And I like the way coffee tastes." Hannah said narrowing her eyes at her father who put both hands up in mock-surrender.

"Okay, okay. I won't fight you on this. But only one cup." Remus said as he lowered his hands back down and grabbed the Daily Prophet that he'd unfortunately been sleeping on from the table.

As he opened up the paper and began to read again from where he'd left off, Hannah kept her eyes on him.

"Daddy can I get bangs?" she said, smiling sweetly for extra back up.

"Bangs?"

"Yeah like, my hair. Can I get bangs?"

"Why do you want bangs?"

"I don't know, I just do."

Her father looked up from the paper and smiled at her before looking back down and speaking.

"Wait a week and if you still want them then sure."

"Why do I have to wait a week?"

"Because you have the attention span of a goldfish."

"At least I'm not a closet narcoleptic."

"Oh please, you'd sleep till dinner if I'd got you those blackout curtains."

"Yeah, if. I'm not the one that falls asleep with their head in the pumpkin juice."

"That was one time."

"One time too many daddy." Hannah said with a smile. Remus looked up and smiled back before turning his eyes back to the paper.

"One week. Then you bring it up again and we'll see."

"But why?"

"Because puppy, you might not like it and it'll take forever to grow back if you don't."

"But you can grow it back for me if I don't like it! With magic."

Remus sighed. "I told you, I'm not good with hair spells. You might go completely bald if I try to grow it back for you."

Hannah gasped and clutched her long black hair, a dramatic look on her face.

"You wouldn't dare."

Remus laughed. "One week." he said again and his daughter sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to change his mind. Silently in her head she repeated the word 'bangs', determined not to forget and let him be right. Again.

"Are you going flying today?" Remus asked

“Yeah, might as well. Weathers nice and-" The rest of her sentence was cut off by a loud screech as a rather large and regal looking brown owl flew in through the window and landed on their dining table.

“Daddy…” Hannah said, as she looked at the large owl that had stuck a leg with a letter attached out to her. “Is this for you or…”

Remus was smiling so hard his face hurt. “No love, I think it’s for you.” He said, barely containing the joy in his voice.

Hannah reached out to the owl with trembling hands and detached the letter from its leg. As soon as she’d taken the letter off the brown owl spread its wings and took off out of the open window with a ‘hoot’. Hannah took the rather heavy envelope in her hands and turned it around to read her own address written in thin slanted green writing.

_Miss H. Lupin_   
_The Baby Blue Cottage_   
_8 Fisher Road_   
_Tintern_   
_Gwent_

Hands still shaking with mingled excitement and fear, she turned the envelope around to see the purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.

Hogwarts.

Hannah shot up out of her chair and gave a loud high-pitched squeak, causing her father to jump and then finally laugh before getting out of his seat as well and joining her in the center of the room to look at the envelope in her hands. Hannah’s hands shook as she stared at the envelope with wide eyes so Remus gently took it from her, opened it, and gave it back to her, not wanting to rip it. Hannah immediately reached in the envelope to pull out the two pieces of paper that were inside. She opened up the first paper and began to read. ‘Dear Ms. Lupin… pleased to inform you… blah blah blah…’. Hannah pulled a face before handing the paper to her father, who laughed and read it over himself, smiling as she tore into the second paper and her face brightened. Her books!

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk_

_A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling_

_A Beginners’ Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phydilla Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander_

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble_

This was wonderful. She was going to Hogwarts! She was going to be sorted and get to play quidditch and go to lessons and be a real witch! She needed to get her books! And her robes! And a wand! She needed to get a wand! What were they doing still standing around? They needed to go now! Hannah danced around the dining room squealing with delight as she read off different items on the list, Remus watching her from the door frame where he was leaning; a look of exhaustion, humor, and exasperation on his face. Strangely enough, he’d worn that face a lot over the past 9 years.

“Daddy can we please go today and get my stuff?” Hannah said, turning to look at him with puppy dog eyes.

Remus sighed and looked at the small calendar that Hannah had pinned to the refrigerator. The full moon was tomorrow. He was exhausted.

“I don’t know, love. You’ve got to wake up early tomorrow to go to your grandpa’s… let’s go after. Please puppy?” Remus said, looking at his daughter as her face fell. Hannah’s eyes met the small calendar on the refrigerator as well and realization dawned on her face. Then it brightened.

“Of course we can.” Hannah said, smiling at Remus, obviously feeling bad for not thinking before asking. “We can go next week. I’m sorry. I should’ve remembered.”

Remus smiled sadly at her. “It’s not your fault, love. No need to apologize. We’ll go sooner than next week though, I promise.”

Hannah frowned. “You need your rest after, daddy.”

“I’ll be fine.” Remus said, a bit too quickly. When Hannah’s bright amber eyes remained on him, now taking in the full picture; the way he was more laying on the door frame for support than leaning, the sheen of sweat that covered his forehead, the paper he still held in his long fingers shaking, the slight twitches and spasms in the muscles on his arms and chest, how he’d been fast asleep at the table when she’d come in for breakfast… Remus sighed and straightened, pushing himself off the door frame with a grimace and walking over to where his daughter stood watching him, eyes full of concern. He took the paper that she still had clutched in her hand.

“Let’s take a look at these, eh?” Remus said as he read over the paper with the different books, robes, and potions ingredients listed. He laughed. Remus already had most of the books on the list and he told her so as he walked into their living room to the large bookshelf they’d set up to cover one entire wall, Hannah trailing behind him looking excited, all guilt forgotten at the prospect of having her new books already. Some of his copies were older than Hannah but Remus took very good care of his books and (with the help of a little magic) they were in almost perfect condition. Remus mumbled to himself as he read the list of books and walked around the bookshelf, selecting the ones Hannah needed. Soon the small coffee table in the center of the room was teetering slightly under the weight of The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1), A History of Magic, Magical Theory, A Beginners’ Guide to Transfiguration, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Hannah ran over to the table and selected books at random, looking at the covers and flipping through them to see if they had any pictures. She selected one and threw herself down on the couch, opened it, and promptly buried her face in it. Remus frowned at his bookshelf. He could’ve sworn he had a copy of The Dark Forces… oh well. They’d just have to buy it new. Remus sighed as he sat down on the couch as well and picked up the books at random, examining them as well.

“Bloody hell, some of these are from my first year at Hogwarts.” Remus said with a slight smile.

“Really?” Hannah said, tearing her face away from the book in her hands to look at her father. The idea of her father being her age, going to Hogwarts for the first time too with these very books was fascinating for her.

“Yeah.” Remus said, smiling back before yawning widely and stretching a bit, accidentally cracking his back rather loudly, causing Hannah to grimace and go back to her book. Remus laughed.

“I think I’ll take a quick nap.” He said, looking longingly at the stairs to his bedroom, thinking of his warm bed.

“Okay.” Hannah said, not taking her eyes off her new book.

Remus smiled and stood, knees cracking slightly, and walked to and up the stairs that led to his bedroom. He made it halfway before he turned for one last glance at his daughter. She was actually grown and going to Hogwarts. He’d done it. At times he really hadn’t thought he’d be able to; the pain of losing all his friends and being left alone was too much to handle. But then he’d looked at the baby in his arms and knew that this was the only thing he could do. The only thing he’d probably ever want to do. And she was going away. He almost didn’t want her to leave but his pride that he’d raised a witch all by himself over weighed it. Besides, she was going to love Hogwarts. Remus smiled at his daughter again as she turned a page in her book. She sat with her small feet curled up underneath her, the large book spread out in her lap, one hand running its fingers through her black hair, the other hand holding up the part of the book that did not fit completely in her lap, lips tracing out the words of the book as she read, blissfully unaware that he was still in the room. She looked so much like him… but Sirius would never have sat that still at her age, let alone willingly opened a book. Remus smiled and then frowned. He turned back up the stairs, cursing himself for thinking that name, and even more so for comparing the two of them. Remus walked into his room and threw himself on his bed, wrapping around the warm blankets and letting exhaustion take his thoughts away.

**

Hannah sat on the couch, A Beginners’ Guide to Transfiguration open on her lap, staring at the handwriting she did not recognize.

 _‘How many galleons do you think it would take to get McGonagall to kiss me?’_ it read. The entire title page of the book was covered in four different styles of handwriting, only one of which she recognized.

 _‘Gross. Don’t want to know.’_ Her fathers handwriting wrote back.

_‘Oh come on Lupin, take a guess. I’m a good-looking bloke it shouldn’t be too much.’_

_‘That’s a matter of opinion, Black. Plus you’re 11 and she’s like 40 so, gross. Now stop writing in my book, it’s new.’_ Hannah’s stomach dropped. Black… so that meant…

_‘You’re writing in it too, you know.’_

_‘Yeah, to tell you to stop.’_

_‘Is it working?’_

_‘Funnily enough, it’s not. Thanks for asking.’_

_‘You’re welcome.’_

_‘JAMES POTTER IS THE BEST CHASER THE WIZARDING WORLD HAS EVER SEEN’_

_‘Says the guy not even on the team.’_ The messiest handwriting of the four wrote.

_‘YOU’RE JUST JEALOUS OF THE AMAZING JAMES POTTER AND HIS AMAZING QUIDDITCH SKIL-‘_

_‘If I had a galleon for every time James called himself amazing, I’d probably be richer than Sirius.’_

_‘Shut it Petey, I can’t control how rich I am.’_

_‘I’m having trouble feeling bad for you, Sirius.’_

_‘REMUS JUST ASK AND SIRIUS WOULD PROBABLY GIVE YOU EVERYTHING IN HIS GRINGOTTS ACCOUNT.’_

_‘I would not!’_

_‘Oh, you so would-‘_ the rest of the sentence was a scribbled mess that Hannah couldn’t read. But below it…

_‘Bloody hell James you got me detention for writing in my own book.’_

_‘SIRIUS STARTED IT’_

_‘I did not! I was only writing to Remus, not inviting the whole table to.’_

_‘YOU EXPECT ME TO SIT BY WITH MY AMAZING IDEAS AND NOT SHARE THEM WI-‘_

_‘Okay! Putting my book up now. This is why we can’t have nice things.’_

The handwriting stopped and Hannah’s eyes were wet. She hadn’t heard a lot about Sirius Black over the years but she knew what he’d done and who he’d been to them. Hannah had asked her father many questions about him until eventually, when Remus supposed she was old enough and deserved to know, he’d sat her down and told her the entire story, with the air of someone that wanted to get everything out in the open so they wouldn’t have to talk about it ever again. When he finished Hannah asked him if he believed that Sirius did it and Remus had looked up at her; surprise, fear, and hurt mingled on his face before answering, yes. That there was no other explanation. Hannah then nodded and they were silent for a beat or two until she drew a breath and asked him if he still loved Sirius, and if she was allowed to love him too. At this Remus had burst into tears and Hannah had curled up in his lap, hugging him as sobs raked his body and then subsided. He’d mumbled apologies in her hair and then he’d promptly fallen asleep. He hadn’t answered her question, and Hannah never asked about Sirius again. She knew that it was probably very hard for her father, especially considering how much Hannah resembled Sirius.

On their large bookshelf there was a small collection of old photographs in dusty frames. There was a picture of four young boys, smiling with their arms around each other, a picture of the same boys, now slightly older, and a red haired girl all piled onto a couch, laughing at a forgotten joke, a picture of a skinny man with glasses, untidy black hair, and brown skin, roaring with laughter as two black haired toddlers attempted to steal the glasses off his face, a picture of four men and three women, circled around and smiling politely at the camera in a room Hannah did not recognize, a picture of a good-looking black haired man smiling wickedly at the camera with his arm wrapped around a pretty blonde woman, who was wearing a grin almost identical to his, a picture of a tall skinny man with auburn hair and scars covering his arms and face and the good-looking black haired man holding a small baby with the same black hair, both of their eyes filled with tears.

Hannah stood and walked over to the picture of her fathers holding her after she’d been born, grabbed it off the shelf and blew the dust off it with a puff of breath. She smiled. They looked so happy. Like anyone would in her position, Hannah had a hard time believing that her father was a mass murderer. But looking at the photo she could see the one that was really affected. Her Dad stood in the photo, a look of pure joy on his face as he looked from Sirius to the baby in his arms, like he didn’t know which was better. She knew it was very hard for her father, even after 9 years. She put the picture back on the shelf, turned and gathered her new books in her arms before running up the stairs to put them in her room, slowing at her Dad’s door as not to wake him. She got in her room and threw the books on her bed before changing into jean shorts, a t-shirt, and some tennis shoes. She ran back down the stairs, again slowing at her Dad’s room but this time to check if he really was sleeping. She paused and watched as the lump on the bed breathed evenly and snored slightly. She grinned and pushed herself up on the banister of the staircase and slid down it, landing on both feet and running through the kitchen and to the back door, which she yanked open and stepped outside. She slid the door closed behind her and ran over to the small shed that held her broom and balls.

Hannah opened the door, flicked a spider off her Comet Two Sixty before grabbing it and the case that held her balls. She grabbed the beater’s bat that leaned on the wall next to her broom and dragged everything out to the middle of the yard before turning and mounting her broom, the beater’s bat held firmly in her hand. She released one bludger from her case of balls and shot up into the sky, letting the bludger chase her for a few moments before turning and smacking it with her bat, sending it flying back a few feet before doubling around and launching itself at her again. They lived out on the countryside with no muggles to see her fly so she rose higher and higher into the air, letting her mind wander as she whacked the bludger repeatedly.

They’d been a family. Why would he go work for Voldemort if he had a family to take care of? * _whack_ *

Her father was a smart man. He trusted him. How could he have been so wrong? * _whack_ *

In all the photographs Sirius looked like he was happy. How could he have betrayed the people he was happiest with? * _whack_ *

He had her with her father. He had a kid. Didn’t he love her enough to stay good? * _whack_ *

Why wasn’t she enough to make him stay? * _whack_ *

The sliding glass door opened and Remus poked his head out, blinking sleepily in the sunlight. He watched as his daughter made a particularly tricky turn and sent the bludger flying at a spinning angle before looping back around and rocketing at her again.

“Hey puppy come inside. I slept through lunch but I’m about to make dinner and I need some help.” Remus shouted, hoping Hannah would hear him from the height she was at. She did, and he seemed to startle her as she turned her head to look down at what had broken her train of thought, momentarily forgetting the bludger that was already barreling back towards her. She squinted at her father and smiled as she made to descend to see what he wanted. The bludger had different plans. Shooting towards her, it collided with her right arm and knocked her clean off her broom. She hit the ground with a hard thump and looked up to see her father walking out with his wand pointed at the bludger, putting it back in its case before turning to check on Hannah.

“Shit, I’m so sorry love. I shouldn’t’ve just called you like that without taking the bludger down first.” Remus said in one breath as he kneeled next to his daughter, who was sitting up on the ground, the air knocked clean out of her, clutching her arm with tears in her eyes.

“Its… okay…” She gasped out and Remus gave a small flick of his wand that restored the air in her lungs before taking her arm gingerly in his hand, watching as a sizable bruise formed.

“Let’s get you inside and get something on this.” He said as he picked her up, watching to make sure he didn’t crush her arm, and carried her back into the house, setting her on the kitchen counter and turning to grab the bruising ointment from their medicine cabinet. He returned with it and held out one large scarred hand for Hannah to place her arm in. She did and he rubbed a small amount of ointment on the bludger-sized bruise and worked it into her arm as the bruise began to magically fade. Hannah sighed with relief and Remus smiled at her.

“Sorry again about that. I don’t know what I was thinking.” He said as he applied more ointment just for good measure.

“It’s okay daddy.” Hannah said smiling at him as he finished and she jumped off the counter to kick her tennis shoes off at the door and turn to him with her hands on her hips.

“Dinner.” She said, taking her hands off her hips and clapping them together like she’d seen a chef do on one of those cooking shows her Dad liked to watch reruns of when he was bored. “What do you want?”

Remus laughed at her imitation and shrugged. “Just a frozen pizza in the oven. Since you’re all injured now.” He said, grinning at her.

Hannah scoffed and put her hands back on her hips. “I am not all injured! I’m in perfect health. Now seriously, what do you want? I have one more day until I have to eat grandpa’s broccoli casserole and I’m gonna make it count.”

Her Dad laughed again. “I do not envy you eating that casserole. Alright, let’s make something good then if you insist.”

He turned and grabbed their favorite cookbook from its spot in the corner of the kitchen and they both bickered over what looked best for dinner until finally finding something they both agreed on. They set the book out and turned to gather everything they needed. Hannah walked over to the small muggle record player her father kept and switched on an album as Remus bustled around at the stove.

‘Guess I got what I deserve’

The muggle record player sang one of their favorite songs and Remus and Hannah ran around the kitchen, working as a team, singing along. Their voices clashed horribly together but neither seemed to care as they danced around and cooked.

'Didn't know you'd think that I'd forget, or I'd regret,'

'The special love I have for you, my baby blue'

When they finished the pasta they made, they set it aside and made a quick cake batter mix, putting it in the oven and turning back to their dinner and loaded their plates, Hannah flicking pasta sauce at her father who threatened to pour the whole pan over her head and then laughed as Hannah screamed and ran out into the living room. He turned off the record player and took their plates out to the sitting room where Hannah already sat, flicking through channels on the small TV they’d placed on one of the bookshelves. Remus took his place on the couch and ate his food as Hannah settled on a rerun of The Empire Strikes Back. They both laughed and talked, eating their food and when the oven dinged, Hannah ran into the kitchen and grabbed the chocolate cake, letting it cool before taking it back out to the dining room and handing it to her father with a fork. He loved chocolate. Especially this close to the full. Hannah took occasional bites but left most of the cake for him and that night they’d both gone to bed with full bellies, feeling a lot better about the missing piece of their family and the thought of cutting Hannah bangs far from both of their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Baby Blue by Badfinger.


	3. The Wonder of You - Year One

Remus woke Hannah up before the sun, which was saying something. Grumbling and complaining, Hannah stumbled into the bathroom and took a quick shower before running back into her room and throwing on jeans and a t-shirt, grabbing pajamas, a change of clothes, a toothbrush, deodorant, and her new copy of Magical Theory and shoving them unceremoniously in the small backpack that used to be her Dad’s. She bounded down the stairs with her bag, energy restored from her shower, and climbed up on the banister, sliding down and landing on both feet in the sitting room to see her father standing waiting for her, a cup of tea in his hands and the exhausted-exasperated expression on his face.

“Ha ha, stop doing that, you’ll break our stairs.” He said with a roll of his eyes as he gripped the back of the couch to keep himself standing up straight.

“Aren’t you more worried about me hurting myself than me hurting the stairs?” Hannah retorted as she threw her bag down next to the front door.

Remus rolled his eyes again. “Oh, please. You’ve done that so many times behind my back you’ve got it down to perfection, I don’t need to be worried about you. Now go eat something before your grandfather gets here.”

Hannah could not argue with that so she shrugged and skipped into the kitchen, pouring herself a cup of coffee, grabbing a banana and sitting herself down at the dining room table, kicking her feet as she ate. Remus joined her at the table, looking ashen faced and in pain. Hannah frowned at him.

“Are you alright daddy?” she said as he took a seat across from her at the table, wincing as his knees cracked.

“Mm? Oh. Yes I’m fine.” He said as he looked around the room distractedly, eyes moving very fast for someone that looked as tired as he did, giving off an aura of nervousness. Hannah sighed as she knew there was nothing she could do for him. He’d be transforming later that night and he typically slept through most of the day and snapped at people if they tried to talk to him, so it was best if she left for her grandfather’s early. Hannah ate in silence and Remus drank his coffee. Hannah made to get him something to eat but thought better of it as she realized he’d only nibble at it then throw it out as soon as she stepped out of the door.

“He should be here soon…” Remus said, looking around the dining room and kitchen like he expected his father to pop out of a cabinet and yell ‘boo’. Hannah said nothing. A few minutes later there was a loud crack from outside that caused her father to shoot up out of his seat like he’d been burned and then a knock on the door. Hannah eyed her Dad nervously.

“It’s just grandpa, daddy.” She said to him, looking at him with concerned eyes as he started at the door murderously, one arm stretched out in front of Hannah like they were about to be attacked.

“Oh. Right… right…” Remus said as he lowered his arm and walked over to the door, limping slightly and wringing his hands. He opened the door to see Lyall Lupin standing at the doorstep, his hands in his pockets. Lyall was Remus aged 30 years. He was tall and lanky, somehow staying skinny in old age where most people got rounder. His once auburn hair had gone completely grey and he looked almost as weak as Remus was before he turned his head to greet his son and granddaughter, face brightening, forcing the tired off his face. He smiled stiffly at his son who did nothing but stare back and step aside to let him in the house. He stepped inside and was greeted with a shout of excitement and an armful of his granddaughter.

“Hello, pumpkin!” He said as he bent to hug Hannah back and then straightened with her still in his arms, spinning around the room, much to Hannah’s delight. As he set her down he realized it had been a bit too much on his body and he stretched and grimaced as his bones and muscles protested at the unexpected exercise. Ignoring it, Lyall held his granddaughter out at arms-length and looked at her with a smile.

“Look at how big you are! I swear every month you grow another foot.”

Hannah giggled delightedly at the thought of being tall. She knew she wasn’t, she was actually rather short for her age, but she wanted to be big and tall like her father and Lyall knew this and made sure to comment on her height every time he saw her. Hannah loved her grandfather. Once a month when her Dad was forced to transform, she stayed the night at Lyall’s house and listened to his old music. Sometimes he showed her baby pictures of her father before the bite that Hannah found hilarious. Remus had been a rather chubby baby compared to his skinny self in adulthood. Her grandpa was always very nice to her and gave her sweets and money, spoiling her when her father said no to something.

“Yeah, she’s getting big. She’ll be taller than the both of us one of these days.” Remus said from the doorway, still holding it open but forcing a smile on his face. “Show him what you got, puppy.” Lyall grimaced at the nickname but Hannah didn’t notice as her face lit up and she ran into the kitchen, grabbing the yellowish envelope and running back into the living room, holding it out to her grandfather with a proud look on her face. Lyall gasped as he took the envelope from her.

“Hogwarts! Is it that time already?” He said with a smile at his granddaughter who was doing a sort of excited jig.

“Yup! Daddy and I are going to get my stuff next week and then the first of September I’ll get to go!” she said with a wide smile.

Lyall frowned. “I could take you to get your stuff if you want to go sooner than next we-“

“No.” He was cut off by Remus who was wearing an angry expression as he looked at his father. When he realized Hannah was still in the room, looking at him with concern after hearing the growl in his voice, he wiped the anger off his face and replaced it with his best neutral expression.

“No, we’ll go when she comes back. I’ll take her myself. Thank you for offering though, Lyall.” He said with a forced smile.

Lyall forced one back. “Alright then. Well we’d better get going, grab your stuff love.” He said to Hannah who ran to her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. She followed her grandfather’s lead out to the front yard where they turned to see Remus watching them, a sad expression on his face.

“I’ll be there at 9 tomorrow to get her.” He said once he noticed their eyes on him.

“Are you sure, son? I can keep her later if you’d like to sleep in.”

“You know I don’t sleep right after, father. I’ll be there at 9.” Remus said, a stern expression on his face as he glared back at his father who returned the glare just as hard. Hannah looked back and forth between the two men and, used to this behavior, rolled her eyes and stepped over to her father and gave him a hug. Remus took his eyes off Lyall and returned the hug stiffly as he didn’t have the energy to bend down and hug her like he normally would. He patted her head a little awkwardly and Hannah backed away to her grandfather, smiling at him and waving goodbye before wrapping her arm around Lyall’s and squeezing her eyes shut, preparing for the uncomfortable suffocating sensation of apparition. Lyall turned on the spot and they both disappeared with a loud crack, leaving Remus alone standing at the doorway. He sighed and turned around, shutting the door and limping over to the couch and throwing himself down on it, much too exhausted to climb the stairs.

**  
Remus sat on his bed, staring at a book with tears pouring down his cheeks. He’d managed the climb up the stairs after the pain of his full bladder could no longer be ignored. After relieving himself, his bed looked just too comfortable to refuse and he’d been limping over to it, preparing to fling himself down and cocoon in his warm blankets when the name of a book on the small rickety shelf he’d set up next to his bed caught his eye. ‘The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble’; the book from Hannah’s list that he hadn’t found on his large bookshelf downstairs. He stumbled over to the shelf and picked it up, setting himself down on the bed with a groan of relief as his weight was taken off his shaking legs, and turned and opened the book to it’s first page, wanting to make sure it was in good enough condition to give to Hannah. His heart dropped in his stomach and the tears fell down his face shortly after.

Sirius Orion Black.

The writing seemed to jump out at him. He hadn’t been prepared like he was when he walked by his bookshelf and saw the old pictures of Sirius smiling at him. He hadn’t been prepared to see that name, hadn’t been prepared to feel the book that had once been written in by the love of his life, he hadn’t been prepared to think about Sirius. Not this close to the moon. His emotions were too high to stop now and he flung the book back on its shelf and laid back on his bed, crawling to his pillows and blankets and sobbing uncontrollably. Why did it have to happen like this? Why did he have to lose Sirius and the rest of them all at once? How could Sirius still affect him like this after so many years? Why did Sirius have to still be alive, torturing him with the fact that he was just out of reach and he had chosen this? Shaking, Remus cried himself to sleep.

He rose hours later as he felt the moon pressing on his bones. Groaning and rubbing his puffy eyes, Remus forced himself to stand and walk out to the stairs, which he climbed down cautiously, wincing at every step. He managed to get to the kitchen and he grabbed his wand from the table and pointed it at the large shelf that held their bigger pots, pans, and cooking books. The shelf rose in the air and set itself down a few feet away, revealing the trap door that it had been covering. Remus flicked his wand at it and it opened. He sighed and placed his wand back down at the table before limping over to the door and placing his hands and feet on the stairs that led down to the basement and climbing down. Full moons had been some of his best memories when his friends were still alive, especially when Sirius first bought the cottage and they had all the surrounding woods to romp around in without fear of running into anyone. Remus thought about how much easier it had been as he placed the chains on his wrists and ankles, locking himself to the basement floor. Now, with no stag or dog to keep him from running too far out into civilization (which he knew the wolf was capable of), Remus didn’t have any sort of luxury during his transformations. He cried out as the wolf ripped itself through his skin, cracking and reforming his bones and skin, causing his mind to go blank with pain before the wolf took it over completely. 

**

Hannah sat on the floor of her grandfather’s living room, eating ice cream out of a small bowl, listening to her grandfather’s old muggle music and staring at the moon slowly rising in the sky. 

‘When everything I do is wrong…’ a voice crooned from the old record player that had once belonged to her grandmother, Hope.

He’d be completely transformed by now, no longer in pain, so at least that was something.

‘You give me hope and consolation’

Hopefully he wouldn’t tear himself up too bad…

‘You give me strength to carry on’

Lyall looked up from his book expecting to see his granddaughter happily eating her ice cream while drawing in the small coloring book he’d bought specifically for her stay this month. Instead he was met with the sight of Hannah staring absentmindedly at the full moon hanging in the sky, frowning at it like it had personally wronged her, dripping ice cream onto the floor from the spoon she held limply in her hand. He sighed and pointed his wand at the small spot of ice cream that had formed on the floor, vanishing it wordlessly. Hannah looked up at him, startled out of her staring contest with the moon.

“Sorry.” She said as she put her spoon back in the small bowl of the now-melted chocolate ice cream. Lyall smiled at her sadly. 

“That’s quite alright, love.” He said back and when Hannah made to go back to staring at the moon, he cleared his throat. 

“There’s nothing you can do for him right now, pumpkin. Best not to think about it.” Hannah frowned, obviously disagreeing with the ‘best not to think about it’ but as she didn’t want to start an argument with her grandpa on the one night of the month she got with him, she remained silent. 

‘Through everything I do, that’s the wonder… the wonder of you.’

A few moments passed with Hannah staring at the floor instead and Lyall turned back to his book, satisfied as long as his granddaughter wasn’t staring sadly at the moon. 

“I just wish he had somewhere better to transform.” Hannah said, somewhat startling Lyall who looked up from his book with wide eyes. 

“You know like, he’s chained to the basement floor right now. I wish he could register himself and be given a place to transform without everything going away. I wish people understood.” She finished sadly. She did not remember ever having a specific conversation with her father about his lycanthropy, she just sort of always knew. However, she did remember the conversation that they’d had one rainy afternoon after returning from the supermarket where she’d accidentally rolled the cart over Remus’ foot (after he’d unwillingly allowed her to push it) and he’d cursed without thinking and made to grab the cart from her. Hannah had laughed and stepped out of the way before saying, rather loudly, ‘Now, daddy you’re a WEREwolf not a SWEARwolf.’ She’d expected a sarcastic retort or a roll of his eyes but instead he’d stiffened and they finished the rest of their shopping in silence, Hannah trailing behind her father feeling nervous and sad, not knowing what she’d done wrong. When they’d gotten home Remus had sat her down on the couch before explaining patiently, answering all her questions, about the wizarding world’s prejudice against werewolves and how no one could ever find out. Hannah had laughed when he'd explained how people assumed werewolves were violent and cruel at all times, even in human form. Her father LITERALLY wouldn’t kill a fly. Whenever a bug made its way in the house from a crack in the old floor or from Hannah leaving the door open, Remus would grab a cup or mug and scoop it up before walking it out to the backyard and dumping it in the grass. Even spiders he saved, when Hannah knew he was terrified of them after one had gotten in his bathroom and Hannah had come running into his room, thinking he was being murdered and then roaring with laughter after spotting the tiny spider on his bathroom mirror that he was looking at like it was Godzilla. She’d accepted Remus’ explanation even though it was the stupidest thing she’d ever heard and from then on she’d been far more careful with her werewolf jokes.

Lyall marked his page in his book and looked at Hannah thoughtfully before answering, measuring out what he could say to her that wouldn’t go back to his son and send Remus falling through his fireplace, yelling about spreading his opinions to his own daughter and threatening to send her to her Aunt Andromeda’s for his full moons instead of Lyall’s house. Lyall knew that Remus was hesitant to make that move as he knew how much Hannah adored Lyall and didn’t want to make his daughter unhappy. Still, Lyall had pushed Remus a lot lately in what he shared with Hannah and he knew Remus’ patience was wearing thin. 

Lyall settled on his favorite option, a passive-aggressive comment that his 10-year-old granddaughter wouldn’t pick up on.

“Well, it is what it is.” He said and he picked up his book again to go back to reading. He was startled when Hannah’s voice spoke up again, only this time it was angry. 

“Don’t you care? He doesn’t deserve to have to chain himself to the floor of an old basement every month.” She said with a growl, jutting her chin out and raising her head so that even though she was still sitting cross-legged on the floor, Lyall got the impression that she was looking down on him. Vividly an image appeared in the back of Lyall’s mind; a black haired 17-year-old boy standing in his living room, giving him that same look, seeming to tower over him even though he stood a great deal shorter. Lyall mentally shook himself. 

“What? No! Of course I care! Don’t you look at me like that young lady! I was just saying there’s nothing we can do. I think you’re a bit tired don’t you? You go on up to bed now.” Lyall said with a stern expression and Hannah hung her head, thinking she’d misunderstood him. Hannah got up and put away her coloring book before grabbing her bowl of ice cream and running into the kitchen with it, depositing it in the sink. She ran back around to her grandfather and gave him a peck on the cheek and a short apology for her rudeness before she bid him goodnight and ran up the stairs to the room Lyall had set up for her to sleep in when she stayed. Her father’s old room. As she washed up, Lyall frowned at his feet and thought about how he couldn’t make his comments anymore, she seemed to pick up on them now. He shrugged and smiled to himself as he realized she was growing up and went back to his book. 

Back in Remus’ old room, Hannah paced. Staring down the moon like she could get it to fall out of the sky with a look, she walked up and down his room, pausing to sweep dust off a surface or to look at an old photograph. She tore her eyes away from the moon when something bright poking out of a corner of one of her father’s old books caught her eye. She walked over and opened it, smiling to herself as she saw the picture fully. Bright red hair had been what made her look and she took the picture of Lily and James Potter and walked back to the old twin bed that sat in the corner of the room, right next to the window. They were laughing and hugging each other in the photo and James was kissing the side of Lily’s face repeatedly as she laughed and halfheartedly tried to shake him off. She turned the photo around to see what could only be James Potter’s handwriting. 

‘WANTED TO SHOW YOU HOW THE FOURTH DATE WITH EVANS WENT! RECKON WE’RE HAPPIER THAN YOU AND BLACK YET? I THINK YES.’

Hannah grinned at James’ loud handwriting and pocketed the photo, trying to ignore the pit in her stomach that had developed when she read the name ‘Black’. Hannah determinedly stared out at the moon and forced her mind to wonder elsewhere. It settled unsurprisingly on Lily and James Potter. Their son would be starting at Hogwarts this year as well. The famous Harry Potter. Hannah knew only a little more about Harry than the rest of the wizarding world did. She knew that they were supposed to have grown up together and they had for a little less than a year until Lily and James went into hiding. She knew that their names were so similar because Sirius and James wanted to see if they could get Lily and Remus to get them mixed up. She knew that his birthday was July 31st when hers was July 25th because the announcement of Lily’s pregnancy had been all the reason her fathers had needed to have their own kid and they’d decided on asking Marlene to surrogate only 3 days after. She'd been an early baby, but still healthy. She’d seen (embarrassing) pictures of her and Harry sharing a bathtub as small babies while Peter piled large amounts of bubbles on their heads, making them giggle uncontrollably. She knew that they were supposed to have grown up as best friends and she wondered if they were going to be friends at Hogwarts. She knew he would probably want to talk to her anyways when he figured out she was connected to his parents but she hoped they could be friends for something besides that. She thought it might make her father happy and either way, she was curious about what he’d be like. Hannah let her mind wander to Hogwarts and what friends she’d make and what house she’d be in and what her lessons would be like as she watched the moon in the sky, blinking slowly but not letting it out of her sight. She watched it as it went down and only when it fully disappeared did she allow herself to close her eyes and drift off to sleep, waking a few hours later to her grandpa gently shaking her and telling her that her dad had arrived early and was ready to go.

**

After Hannah washed up and dressed, she walked down the stairs while sleepily rubbing her eyes, now suffering the consequences of only a couple hours’ sleep. She came down the stairs to see her father standing by the fireplace on the cane he used to support himself after the moon, looking pale and sickly but managing a smile before reaching a hand out to her, beckoning wordlessly to the fireplace. Hannah said goodbye to her grandfather and took her father’s hand as he stepped into the fireplace and floo’d them back to their cottage. When they arrived Remus fell out of the fireplace and hit the floor hard. Hannah flung her backpack down before reaching out to her Dad and helping him up off the floor. Using floo powder this soon after his transformation was never easy on him but he always insisted on taking Hannah as soon as he was physically able to, much to the displeasure of Lyall. Hannah helped her father stand and together they walked to the stairs, Remus leaning heavily on Hannah who staggered slightly under his weight. She helped him climb the stairs, noticing he paled significantly whenever he put weight on his right foot. They made it to his bedroom but Remus pointed wordlessly to his connected bathroom and Hannah led him to it instead of his bed. She was unsurprised when he fell as soon as he was in close enough proximity to the toilet and began vomiting violently. Hannah frowned and sat beside him, rubbing his back with one hand as he dry heaved. Remus would apologize profusely the next day once he was able to speak through the pain, insisting that she shouldn’t have to take care of him at all. Hannah would roll her eyes, knowing that it wasn’t his fault and that he needed someone to take care of him after the moons, even though he wouldn’t admit it. 

When Remus was done Hannah got up and filled the small glass that was sitting on Remus’ sink with tap water and handed it to him. He chugged and mumbled a ‘thank you’ and then reached a hand out to her and together they got him to his bed. Remus fell down on it and groaned as Hannah moved the blankets out from under him and threw them aside after feeling how hot his skin was. Hannah walked over to his feet and took off the slippers that he’d put on, pausing when she got to his right foot, afraid at what she might see. Remus mumbled something about her not worrying which of course only caused her to worry more, as her father had an unhealthy habit of downplaying his injuries. She took the slipper off and gasped. His ankle was bent at an odd angle, the bruising from the chain turning different nasty colors. He’d obviously fixed the bone in the right place but it was still very unstable and was definitely the worse of his injuries. 

“What else is there?” she said as she walked around him, noting the bruising on the other ankle and the wrapping on his left arm and chest. 

“Cuts… n… scratches. Nothin’.” He mumbled. 

Hannah sighed and lifted up the thin fabric of Remus’ pajama shirt to see the damage underneath. Lose wrappings barely covered the large cut that ran across his chest to his left arm. It was no longer bleeding, she supposed that was her father’s doing, but it looked very painful and was still open. It would definitely be leaving another scar. Hannah put his shirt back down and walked out of the room and down the stairs, too tired to even consider sliding down the banister. She walked into the kitchen and opened their medicine cabinet, grabbing the different ointments, clean wrappings, and premade potions that her father always required after the moon. She walked back up the stairs holding it all in her arms and set it down at her Dad’s bedside table when she returned to his room. She set to work. Hannah grabbed an extra pillow and propped Remus’ mangled ankle up, trying to ignore the inhuman whine of pain he made. She pulled his shirt off and the dirty wrappings and added ointments to the cut that cleaned it out and closed it up. She wrapped it up again, tightly so it would stay closed, and moved on to his ankle. She straightened it on the pillow, making Remus gasp out in pain but say nothing as she covered it in numbing and bruising ointment. She did the same to his other ankle, with less product, and then used the closing and cleaning ointment on the other smaller cuts that littered his body and did not warrant wrappings. She fed him the potions he needed and as he fell asleep, Hannah kicked off her shoes and then curled up next to him under his uninjured arm. Unconsciously, Remus tightened his arm around her and pulled her in closer, and Hannah wrapped one arm around his midriff and allowed herself to fall asleep with her head on the uninjured side of his chest, listening to the slow rhythm of his heart. 

Hannah woke up when the sun went down and looked around sleepily at her father who was still unconscious. She got up and went downstairs, fixing them both some soup and then climbing back upstairs, shaking Remus awake gently and helping him prop himself up on the many pillows that littered his bed. They both ate in silence until Remus looked up and smiled at her. 

“Thank you, puppy.” He said. “You shouldn’t have to do that at all but still, thank you. You’re such a sweet girl.”

Hannah looked up at him and smiled back, pleased to see that he could form full sentences and some of the color was coming back to his face. Hannah took his bowl and helped him to a second round of potions. She bustled around the bed, straightening the blankets on her Dad as he was no longer burning hot. As Remus drifted off he started to mumble something.

“What’s that?” Hannah said, looking up at her father. 

“You’re just like him… taking care of me after… just like your Dad.” He mumbled and then promptly fell asleep. Hannah stared at him for a second longer before walking back to the kitchen with their bowls and depositing them in the sink. It had not been the first time Remus had said something about Sirius when he was under the influence of strong healing potions. It was always strange to be compared to someone who, if their name were spoken any other day, would ruin the mood of the household for hours after. But Hannah supposed it wasn’t her father’s fault, he wasn’t in his right mind after all. Hannah curled back up in her spot on Remus’ arm and tried not to think about Sirius as she drifted back off to sleep. 

** 

Remus got significantly better over the next day and after another full night’s rest, he was ready to take Hannah shopping for her school things. Hannah ate her breakfast very fast, ignoring her father’s comments about choking herself, and ran around the living room impatiently as her father got dressed, her list of supplies clutched tight in her hand. Remus eventually came down, dressed in one of his favorite sweaters and a pair of worn out jeans, and grinned at the sight of his daughter glaring at him with her arms crossed. Remus walked over to her and as he got the fireplace ready to floo, looked over his shoulder at his daughter.

“Took you long enough to get ready, eh?” he said with a grin that grew wider when Hannah rolled her eyes at him. They stepped in the fireplace together and Remus threw the powder down on the flames, saying the words ‘Diagon Alley’. As they stepped out of the public floo fireplace, Hannah’s senses were attacked with the different colors, smells, and sounds of Diagon Alley. She’d been many times before, when her father wanted a new book or needed more potions he let her tag along. They didn’t do their clothes shopping there, her father preferred muggle clothing and Hannah quite agreed with his opinion, disliking the heat of wizarding robes, but when her father had a job interview he always rented a few nice set from a robes shop and later returned them when he missed too many days and was let go. Her father walked swiftly down the alley, smiling politely at the few different wizards and witches that recognized him from their days at Hogwarts or the many different jobs her father had been at temporarily over the years. Hannah followed behind him, smiling when someone said, ‘and this must be Hannah!’. They made it to the large bronze doors of Gringotts; the wizarding bank. They walked in together, smiling politely when the small goblin that stood in front of the doors dressed in a scarlet and gold uniform bowed them in. 

Remus walked to the counter where a free goblin stood waiting to help. 

“Good morning.” He said politely with a smile. “We’d like to make a withdrawal from the Black’s safe.” Remus faltered slightly at the last sentence but kept the polite smile on his face as he looked at the goblin. 

“You have the key, sir?” the goblin said. 

“Yes, right here.” Remus responded and he took the small silver key out of his pocket and handed it to the goblin who examined it with beady eyes before giving a stiff smile and handing it back to Remus. 

“Very well, Bogrod will see you to your vault.” He said and he gestured to a smaller goblin that led the way to one of the many doors that lined the halls of Gringotts. They stepped into the narrow stone passageway and waited as Bogrod whistled and a small cart rattled its way over to them. The three of them climbed in and they were off, shaking slightly in the cart and hurtling through the many twisting passageways. Remus stared at his feet as Hannah looked around at the large cavern. Remus hated going to Gringotts. When Regulus died shortly after Orion, the entirety of the Black fortune had gone directly to Sirius who immediately bought their cottage and a new helmet for his motorcycle. When Sirius was imprisoned, he left the entire fortune to Remus and Hannah. Remus exclusively used the money only for Hannah and the things that directly affected her like food and the condition the cottage was in, telling himself that she was the only reason Sirius had requested his fortune to go to them during his imprisonment. He knew, of course, that he was probably wrong and that his old Sirius would be furious at Remus never so much as buying himself a second hand book with the money but when Remus thought of this he argued back with himself that he had no idea what Sirius would’ve wanted Remus to do, as Sirius had apparently lied about many things. It was a long drive to the Black fortune, as the name was one of the oldest wizarding families, but eventually they arrived at its large silver doors and the three of them stepped out of the cart. 

Bogrod opened the vault and stepped aside as the doors swung open, revealing mounds of gold, silver, and bronze coins. Remus handed the small bag to Hannah and allowed her to scoop up several handfuls of coins and then they turned and got back in the cart. Hannah knew better than to exclaim at the sight of the fortune they had. She knew her father hated coming here and she did too a little bit. The sight of the amount of money her father had left her felt like another punch in the gut and led to many nights of wondering what the hell he felt about her and how she was supposed to feel about him. It was always the worst part of their trips to Diagon Alley but as they stepped out into the sun light again, money clinking happily in Remus’ pocket ready to be spent, they both felt a good bit happier. 

They made their way around Diagon Alley, using up the large amount of money they’d just gotten. They bought the books that Hannah still needed (including The Dark Forces, which Remus could not bring himself to tell her of the copy they had at home, even though he could’ve easily erased Sirius’ handwriting from the title page), her cauldron, glass phials, telescope, and scales. They decided to get her robes next, saving the wand for last, and they stepped into Madam Malkin’s. They were met by a nervous looking dark skin couple that stood hand-in-hand by the door. Remus smiled politely at them and struck up a friendly conversation as Hannah was led to the back of the shop by a squat witch who introduced herself as Mrs. Malkin. At the back of the shop there was another girl standing on a footstool while a second witch fitted her in a pair of long black robes. The girl could only be the daughter of the couple standing outside, Hannah thought to herself as she stepped up on the footstool next to her and smiled politely. She had dark brown skin as well and lots of brown hair that fell down her back in bushy curls. The girl smiled back at her and Hannah saw that she had rather large front teeth. 

“Hello. Are you starting at Hogwarts as well?” the girl said in a rather loud, bossy sort of voice. 

“Yeah I am.” Hannah said with a smile. They could be friends! “Are you excited? I am.” 

The girl smiled back at her. “Oh yes, very much so. I begged my Mum and Dad to come here as soon as we could so I could get my books and start reading about this Hogwarts. My parents aren’t magic, you see. I’ve only just found out I’m a witch.”

“Really? That’s amazing! I imagine it was a bit of a shock.” 

“Yes it was but now that I know I want to learn as much as I possibly can.”

Hannah smiled at her again. She liked this girl. 

“I would too if it was me. My Dad is a wizard so I already know but I still dragged him here to get all my stuff early. I want to read my books before we go, you see. Be prepared.”

“Me too! It’s all so fascinating to me. There’s been this whole world I didn’t know about and now I get to be a part of it. And of course I want to be prepared as well. What’s your name by the way?”

“Hannah Lupin.”

“I’m Hermione Granger. It’s nice to meet you.” 

“Nice to meet you too.” 

They talked for a while longer until Hermione was done with her fitting and had to leave. They said goodbye and promised to look for each other when they got on the train. Shortly after, Hannah was done and she skipped out and told her father all about her new friend as he paid for her robes. He smiled when she told him that Hermione had promised to sit with her on the train. 

“That’s amazing, love. It’s always good to have someone to sit with I was a bit worried about that to be honest with you.”

“What do you mean?” They were walking to Ollivander’s, Remus staggering slightly from the weight of Hannah’s books and cauldron while Hannah skipped along beside him, holding her robes. 

“Well, we had to live away from everyone else because of my condition. I was worried about you having trouble making friends.” Remus’ face flashed with guilt. “I should’ve known it wouldn’t be a problem though. You’re Ms. Social while I was Mr. Awkward Introvert at your age.” He laughed at that then smiled at her fondly. “Should’ve known…” he said more to himself than to Hannah as they walked into Ollivander’s. The atmosphere was cold and full of magic and Hannah looked around in awe at the stacks of wand cases that covered the walls as Remus sat the cauldron and books down, cracking his back. 

“Good afternoon.” A voice said that caused both Hannah and Remus to jump before looking around at the old man that stood in front of them. 

“Good afternoon.” Remus said back politely when his heart returned to its normal speed.

“Good afternoon.” Hannah repeated, blushing slightly when the corners of her father’s mouth twitched at the lateness of her greeting.

“Remus Lupin! How nice to see you again! Cypress, ten and a quarter inches, unicorn hair, wasn’t it?” Ollivander said as he walked out from around the counter where he was standing.

Remus took his wand out of his pocket. “Yes it was. Still is, actually.” He said with a smile. 

“Good, good. Love to see my wands being taken care of! Now, this must be your daughter Hannah.” He said as he looked at her with large white eyes. Hannah resisted the urge to shiver. 

“Yes we’re here to get her wand today. She’s starting at Hogwarts this year.” 

“Yes she is.” Ollivander said. It was an odd response, Hannah thought and she raised an eyebrow at her father who chuckled silently. Ollivander walked around his shelves, mumbling to himself and grabbing different wands for Hannah to try. After many failed attempts, Ollivander handed Hannah a wand that felt warm in her hands and when she raised it above her head and swung it down, it emitted several red and gold sparks. Her father and Ollivander cheered and Hannah smiled widely as Ollivander took the wand from her and placed it back in its case, walking back around to the counter where her father met him and paid for the wand.

“Willow, eleven inches, dragon heartstring.” He said as he wrung it up. “You put this wand to good use now, young lady.” He said with a smile as he handed it to her.

“I will.” Hannah said with a smirk and Remus and Hannah walked back out into the street. 

“Is that everything on the list?” Remus asked. 

Hannah pulled the list out of her pocket and check it again. “Yup.” She said and made to put it away.

“Are you sure?” Remus said with a smirk. Hannah frowned at him and looked back at the paper. 

“Yeah… pretty sure.” Hannah said as she looked over the list once more. Remus just smiled to himself and walked quickly up the street, turning corners like he knew where he was going. Hannah frowned and, not knowing what he was up to but curious to find out, followed him. Soon they were standing outside Eeylops Owl Emporium and Remus, because of his full hands, gestured towards the shop with his head. Hannah just stood and looked at him, her mouth wide open. Remus sighed.

“Open it, come on now.”

“But daddy, we already have an owl.” It was true. Back home they had an old barn own named Soren that Remus had since his first year. Her father frowned.

“Well, yes. But Soren is getting pretty old and I don’t think he’d be up to the trip to Hogwarts and back 5 times a week. Which is how much I’m going to write you by the way.” He said with a grin. 

“Don’t you dare.” Hannah said with a laugh and her father smiled back at her.

“Alright, 3 times a week. Still, he’s not up for it. And either way you should have your own owl.” Remus smiled as Hannah ran into the shop in agreement. A few minutes later they stepped back out into the street, Hannah holding a large black brown owl in a cage, smiling so hard her face hurt. 

“Know what you’re going to name him?” Remus asked as they walked back to the public floo fireplace. 

“No clue.” Hannah said, still staring wide-eyed at her new owl who hooted at her. 

Remus smiled and they stepped in the gate, making it home where Hannah set out all her new things and introduced Soren and her new owl. She talked excitedly about Hogwarts and how much fun it was going to be as Remus sat back and smiled, happy and excited for her, ignoring the pit in his stomach that was forming as he realized how little she was going to be around now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Lyall played is The Wonder of You by Ray Peterson (1959) but it's better know as Elvis's cover in 1970. Just considering his age let's say its Peterson's version playing.


	4. Ziggy Stardust - Year One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the words in this chapter are quoted from The Philosopher's Stone. I trust that you'll recognize which ones they are (I really don't want to put them in bold since I'll be taking some words directly from the books a lot)

The next month passed in a happy blur for Hannah. She’d decidedly named her owl Ziggy, after David Bowie’s album; ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.’ It suited him, she thought, as she fed him small bites of owl food and ran a finger over his head. He was completely black with large amber eyes that weren’t unlike her own. Ziggy even seemed to like his name and hooted appreciatively when she called him by it. Remus liked it as well and when she’d told him the owl’s named he’d laughed and turned the record on, humming along to the tune of ‘Soul Love’ and trying not to think about how it had been Sirius’ favorite too.

“And it fits us too, you know, because of the bike.” Hannah said as she smiled at Ziggy and handed him another treat. Remus just nodded. It was true of course, that Sirius’ old bike Stardust still sat in their shed and was occasionally ridden by Hannah to the grocery store when she felt like going and Remus didn’t. When Hannah first asked her father if she could learn to ride the bike, he’d flat out said no. It took weeks of convincing and finally, with the help of her Aunt Andromeda and cousin Dora, she got him to say yes. Shortly after, Remus and Andromeda were out in the yard with Ted, placing lightening and safety charms on the bike while Dora and Hannah talked about how cool it was going to be. Remus had thought to shrink the bike seat and a few minutes later Hannah was climbing on and complaining when her father tightened a helmet over her head. She’d shot around the dirt roads and after several tries she started to get the hang of it. It took another couple weeks of Remus sitting on their front porch watching as Hannah zoomed past again and again on Stardust for him to let her out of his sight with the bike. Remus always had to try not to think about Sirius when he saw Hannah mounting Stardust and had to yell a reminder about the helmet out of the window. But Hannah loved the bike and Remus wasn’t one to deny his daughter something just because it made him uncomfortable. He trusted her on it and watching her face light up as she zoomed on the dirt roads surrounding their cottage always made Remus smile.

A few weeks passed and it was finally Hannah’s 11th birthday. Hannah wanted to invite Hermione to the small party they had every year but she hadn’t thought to ask for her address and Remus didn’t exchange numbers with her parents. Defeated, Hannah settled with the normal company for her birthday; Remus, Ted, Andromeda, Dora, Lyall, and her father’s old Hogwarts professor, Minerva McGonagall. Hannah adored Minerva and spent the majority of her birthday party bombarding her with questions about Hogwarts and how things were going to go when she got there.

“Although, I won’t be able to speak to you until you’re sorted and the feast is over.” When Hannah’s face fell, Minerva reached a hand out to pat her on her shoulder. “It’s only fair, dear. I can’t play favorites.” She kept her voice professional but winked at Hannah when she sat back in her seat. Minerva had been around for as long as Hannah could remember, and always cheered her father up when she came to the cottage every Sunday for dinner. Her aunt, uncle, and cousin were the same. Remus and Hannah saw them as often as they could and Hannah was very close with her cousin Dora, as she was only 8 years older. Dora was also very cool in Hannah’s opinion. She was tall and skinny, with short cropped hair that she liked to turn different colors whenever she pleased, as she was a metamorphmagus, and she wore a lot of old band t-shirts that were cut off at the stomach so they showed her belly button piercing. Dora told her all about her training at the auror academy as Hannah stared at her with wide eyes, fascinated at the idea of learning to fight bad guys. 

“Well it’s not all fighting, of course.” Dora said with a laugh after being quizzed by Hannah about different wand techniques. “It’s a lot of brainy stuff too. That I’m not as good with but…” she shrugged her slim shoulders. “It’s what I want to do.”

Hannah’s birthday party went relatively well. Her father and grandfather sat as far away from each other as they could and determinedly avoided eye contact so there were no arguments from the two of them, Andromeda chatted happily with Remus, Lyall and Ted made polite small talk, and Hannah took turns talking to Minerva and Dora. When it was time for presents Hannah noticed that her pile was significantly larger this year. Following her eye, Remus laughed.

“Seems we all got a bit excited when we got the news about Hogwarts.” He said with a smile as he handed Hannah her first present to open. Hannah got a new copy of ‘The Hobbit’ from Minerva, as it was one of her favorite books and the last time Minerva visited she’d watched as Hannah spilt a rather large amount of tea on it while trying to backflip off the couch. She got a broomstick servicing kit from her Aunt and Uncle, a t-shirt of one her favorite bands from Dora, and a new poster for her room from Lyall. Finally she got to her father’s present which was the biggest one of all. Hannah ran over to it and ripped the wrappings off with eager hands to reveal a very large, very expensive looking school trunk. Hannah’s breath caught in her throat. It was beautiful. The light brown wood shone brightly and the sides of the trunk were covered in two scarlet stripes, Hannah’s favorite color. In the center of the trunk there were small gold letters that Hannah smiled as she read.

_‘H. H. Lupin’_

Hannah stood there for a few more moments silently running her hands along the clean wood of the trunk and tracing her fingers on the lettering of her name. Remus stepped forward with one hand out, confused at her silence and cursing himself silently for buying what she probably thought was a boring present. He was confused when Hannah turned to smile at him, her eyes full to the brim with tears. Hannah ran over to her father, exclaiming her love for the trunk and how it was just like his as she jumped up to hug him. Remus laughed with relief and happiness as he wrapped his long arms around her and then picked her up off the floor when he stood to his full height. After a few seconds he set her down and led her back over to the trunk. 

“There’s a bit more too it, see.” He said as he went to open the trunk and smiled at the eager look on his daughter’s face. He opened the empty trunk and Hannah watched as her father showed her all the different folds to store things inside and hovered over his shoulder in anticipation as her father pressed his thin fingers to a small hidden button on the inner side of the trunk, causing a small record player to shoot out of the outer side. Hannah gasped again and Remus smiled.

“And it’s bewitched to work even in Hogwarts, you know how I told you muggle items typically go haywire when they get within a few feet of it?” Hannah nodded. “Yes, well I tinkered around with it a bit and it should work now, let me know if it doesn’t and I’ll fix it when you come home for the holidays. Minerva, I know things like this typically aren’t allowed but I hope I can count on your discretion?” Remus said as he turned and stood to look at his old professor.

“I didn’t see a thing.” Minerva said with a thin smile and Remus returned it before turning back and explaining that Hannah could put her records in this pocket, and her books in that one. An few moments later, Remus helped Hannah set up her record player and the party all moved to sit in the small living room; the Tonks’ piling up on the couch, Remus sitting in one of the comfy chintz armchairs, Minerva sitting stiffly in the one next to him, and Lyall pulling up a chair from the dining room to sit on by the couch while Hannah sat cross-legged on the floor and played music as she cleaned up her broom with the kit she’d gotten from Ted, Andromeda, and Dora. 

_‘Became the special man, then we were Ziggy’s band’_

Remus smiled at his daughter fondly as she sang along and tweezed the ends of her broomstick. Minerva followed his eye-line and smiled as well.

“She’s going to enjoy Hogwarts, you know.” She said and Remus looked up at her, startled out of his train of thought. Then his face broke into a wide grin and Minerva couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous at the sight of that mischievous look; seven years of chasing Sirius Black and James Potter around the halls of Hogwarts after seeing that grin appear on Remus’ face were not forgotten easily.

“She’s going to be your problem now.” He said with a laugh. “I might warn you, she’s quite a handful.”

“Considering her parentage I’d be concerned if she wasn’t.” Minerva said with a smile as she looked over at Hannah, not seeing the flash of sadness that passed over Remus’ face before it was replaced again with his happy smile.

_‘So where were the spiders, while the fly tried to break our balls_

_With just the beer light to guide us,_

_So we bitched about his fans and should we crush his sweet hands?’_

Hannah hummed along and sang the words aloud occasionally; completely lost in thought as she spruced up her broom. It was completely ridiculous that first years weren’t allowed to play quidditch. She wasn’t a baby! She was eleven years old now! It was ageism! Hannah nodded in agreement to the word she had to have Remus explain after one of the characters on his show had used it. Maybe she could get Minerva to work something out for her… She said she wasn’t allowed to play favorites but that obviously couldn’t apply to her! Hannah thought about the best way to ask Minerva for a spot on the team as the song changed to ‘Moonage Daydream.’

“Hannah, love.” Andromeda said suddenly, leaning away from her conversation with her husband. Hannah looked up at her, startled out of her train of thought.

“Yeah?”

“What house do you think you’ll be in? I’m curious.” Andromeda said with a smile. Hannah took a few seconds to respond and Remus smiled. When Hannah was younger and more curious about why she could do the things she did, Remus had to explain it all to her and when they got to the subject of houses at Hogwarts, Remus was pleased when he realized he’d have the opportunity to approach them all as equal; a feat that would not have been managed if James and Sirius were around. He’d explained all the characteristics and personality traits of each of the houses, trying not to sound biased when talking about Gryffindor and Slytherin. He’d always thought that Sirius and James took the house rivalries a bit too far and didn’t want Hannah to have the same feeling about them, even if she was inevitably going to end up biased for Gryffindor as 90% of her family had been in the house.

“I don’t really know honestly.” Hannah said as she furrowed her brow in concentration. Remus smiled again and Andromeda raised her eyebrows, not expecting that answer. “I guess Gryffindor. But I wouldn’t mind Hufflepuff either.” Hannah said with a shrug.

“Preach. Hufflepuff pride.” Dora said from the couch and fist-bumped her Dad over her mother’s head. Andromeda rolled her eyes.

“Not Ravenclaw?” she pressed with a smile, wanting Hannah to show support for her own house. Hannah laughed.

“Oh, please. I come back from a long day of lessons and have to answer a riddle? Sounds like a personal hell to me.” They all laughed and after a few seconds Andromeda leaned forward.

“How’d you know you need a riddle to get in?” she said.

Hannah pulled a face. “It was in Hogwarts: A History.” She said, like it was obvious. Remus smiled fondly at his daughter who had begged him to buy the huge book when they’d seen it in Flourish and Blotts and then proceeded to spend two whole days curled up on the couch with the book spread out across her lap before she was done with it. 

Andromeda snorted. “Okay, okay. What about Slytherin?” She said with a large grin and Remus sat up slightly in his seat; eager to hear her answer.

“Ew, no.”

Remus sat back with a sigh and Hannah turned to look at him with a smile.

“Just kidding, daddy.” She said before turning back to look at her Aunt. “He doesn’t like it when I make fun of Slytherin.” She explained with a grin very similar to the one Remus had been wearing a few moments ago. “But I guess it wouldn’t be that bad. Just seems like sleeping in the dungeons would get kind of old.” Andromeda sat back in her seat and winked at Remus as Hannah went back to cleaning up her broom. He’d done a good job with the girl, Andromeda thought to herself. She’d been worried about Remus in those first few years; he’d spent many nights curled up in a ball on her couch crying into her lap while Dora played with Hannah in a separate room, trying to distract her from the sound of her father’s sobs. But Remus seemed to pull himself out of whatever he was feeling when it came to taking care of Hannah and slowly but surely he’d recovered almost completely. He laughed and talked like he used to, made sarcastic comments and took very good care of his daughter, never shying away or avoiding a question even if it was particularly painful for him. She had a lot of respect for Remus and they’d grown very close. It was true that she’d met him through Sirius but Andromeda tried not to think of that part when she saw her cousin’s daughter who had slowly turned into his doppelganger over the years. Sometimes when Andromeda looked at Hannah out of the corner of her eye she’d be convinced that she was Sirius and whip around to look at the girl who would raise an eyebrow and laugh at her expression.

She wasn’t crazy though; Hannah really did look almost exactly like him. Hannah was Sirius when relaxed. When her hair was down and it framed her jaw in the way Sirius’ used to or when she looked down and her long black eyelashes touched her cheeks. She was Sirius when she was reading or concentrating on something; she stuck her tongue into the corner of her cheek and chewed like he used to and her cheekbones were almost identical to his when they were relaxed and calm, not to mention the pale complexion she’d also inherited. On the other hand when Hannah smiled or talked; she was Remus. Whenever Andromeda was confused by Hannah’s looks, all it would take was a few words and Sirius almost completely disappeared from Hannah’s face. Hannah was Remus when showing emotion. When she smiled or grinned the resemblance was striking; the same small dimples would appear on her cheeks and her large amber eyes that were also identical to Remus’ would crinkle in the same places his would. When Hannah was angry her lip would curl up at the top just like his would and when she was upset or crying her face seemed to fold the same way his did. Andromeda never met Marlene but she’d seen pictures that told her where Hannah had gotten the rest of her features. Marlene smiled in photographs with straight perfect teeth that never required any magical assistance as Sirius and Remus’ had. She had a spray of freckles across her face that Hannah also shared and a small button nose that fit her face perfectly. Hannah was the three mixed together and while she’d inherited Sirius’ temper and twisted sense of humor, she’d also gotten Remus’ sarcastic comebacks and compassion, and Marlene’s toughness.

Later on that night everyone headed home and Hannah received tighter than usual hugs from her Uncle, Aunt, and cousin; as she wouldn’t be able to see them until Christmas holidays. Lyall left with a hug for Hannah and a short nod for his son. Minerva stood on the Lupin’s doorstep, getting ready to apparate when Remus put a hand on her shoulder. Hannah had gone inside on her father’s instructions and started to get ready for bed but Remus still closed the door behind him before turning to speak to a very confused looking Minerva.

“I’m aware that Severus is still teaching potions at Hogwarts.”

“Rem-“

“Please Minerva, you know as well as I do the kind of reaction my daughter’s presence will cause for him.”

Minerva closed her mouth and looked up at the sky, trying to ignore what she knew this conversation was about to become. Remus looked at her stony expression and sighed before following her gaze up into the sky; his eyes resting on the large almost full moon that hung there.

“I know that we were terrible to each other at school.”

Minerva snorted.

“Okay, maybe terrible is an understatement.” Remus said with a roll of his eyes. “But still… Hannah is not her father.” The words that Remus needed to say threatened to get caught in his throat and he cleared it before speaking, blinking the tears out of his eyes.

“I don’t want Hannah to have an enemy before she even steps inside. She’s never done anything to him and I know that it might be hard for him, considering how closely Hannah resembles Sirius, but I want my daughter to be recognized for who she is, not who her Dad was.” Remus’ voice was hard now as he stared up into the sky. Sirius and James’ treatment of Severus had never sat well with Remus, no matter how nasty Severus was in return. 

“Just please, make sure she’s treated fairly. Harry as well.” He finished and looked at Minerva; who had been watching him since he started speaking, looking at the emotions harden on her face.

“Of course, Remus. You know I’ll be keeping an eye out for them either way.” She said with a smile that Remus returned quickly before his expression hardened again.

“If she writes to me and tells me he’s mistreating her, I will come up to the school and it will not be pretty. I never had any particular reason to hate him but I’m not fond of him and I know the type of person he is. Don’t let him give me a reason to hate him.”

Minerva laughed.

“You know, for a werewolf, you’re not even the slightest bit intimidating.” She said and they both laughed for a while longer before saying their goodbyes.

**

Remus and Hannah laid out in Remus’ bed as Hannah ran her fingers through her father’s auburn curls, trying to get him to fall asleep. It was the day after the full moon and it had been a bad one. Hannah wasn’t exactly sure why the wolf had torn into her father the way it had this time; but Hannah was thankful that the trip to Platform 9 and ¾ was still a week away as her father definitely needed time to heal. Her grandfather had to apparate her over after they received a patronus message from Remus telling them he wasn’t able to floo. Remus’ leg lay torn up on the pillow Hannah had set under it and now she had to avoid looking at it as she adjusted another pillow underneath him. For some reason the wolf had tried to chew his chains off and nearly took Remus’ ankle with it. It was healing, but slowly, and the sleeping potions didn’t work when Remus was in this much pain.

“I’m… so sorry…” Remus grunted with his eyes still closed, reaching a scarred hand up to his daughter’s. “You shouldn’t have to…”

Hannah shushed him and told him to go to sleep. After many days spent taking care of her Dad, Hannah got very tired of hearing her father’s mumbled apologies and guilt, especially when his leg was practically split open. It was not his fault and Hannah never really minded it when she had to take care of him afterwards. It never occurred to her as weird when her father would lay his head in her lap and she’d sing him to sleep while wiping the sweat off his forehead because it was what they’d always done and what needed to happen. Hannah looked down at her father’s pale face and felt a twinge of sadness. His skin was almost translucent from the blood loss and his forehead, cheeks, and chin were covered in a thin later of sweat that appeared again almost immediately after Hannah wiped it off. His lips were white and cracked and the old scars on his face seemed to grow even more prominent in contrast with his pale skin. The freckles that covered his long skinny body were almost completely invisible and his mouth twitched as he mumbled more apologies under his breath. Hannah knew that her Aunt was going to be checking in on him after every full moon but she still worried; no one could care for him after like she could, at least, no one available. 

Hannah mumbled the first song that came to mind as she detangled his curls with her fingers.

_‘He took it all too far but boy could he play guitar’_

Remus frowned into his pillow as his daughter sang. He didn’t want to hear that song… didn’t want to hear it sung by someone he so desperately wanted to separate from that song. Remus tried not to cry as Hannah sang on.

_‘Making love to his ego Ziggy sucked up into his mind…’_

Remus let unconsciousness take him then, and he dreamed happy colorful dreams of Sirius sprawled out on the floor of their sitting room, long legs covered in ripped black skinny jeans while he sang to the small black haired baby that sat on his stomach. He lifted her up with both hands to hover over his head and Hannah laughed and giggled as her father continued to sing, trying to dodge the drool coming from Hannah’s open mouth.

_‘When the kids had killed the man I had to break up the band.’_

Sirius tossed Hannah up in the air and laughed at the expression on her chubby face as he caught her and sang the last line.

_‘Ziggy played guitar’_

Remus never wanted to wake up.

**

Hannah woke up before the sun on September 1st. She jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom; washing her face and brushing her teeth before jumping in the shower, scrubbing her hair thoroughly, conditioning, and washing her body three times before she stepped out, dried off, and used an insane amount of lotion. Hannah even grabbed a stick of deodorant from the back of the cabinet under the sink. Her father stored a few back there so if he ever ran out he'd have some and even though Hannah didn’t really need them yet, she grabbed two and put them in the bag of toiletries she was slowly filling. Hannah ran fingers through her wet hair and paused to look in the mirror.

_Okay, I can do this._

She thought to herself as she puffed out her lips and shook her head slightly. Hannah was more nervous than she’d ever been in her entire life and she tried to calm the shaking in her hands as she grabbed a few extra hair ties and slipped them around her wrist.

Hannah walked back into her room with a towel wrapped around her and hesitated as she looked at the Hogwarts uniform spread out on her bed. Black robes, grey sweater vest, black skirt, grey tights, blank tie. Would other people be wearing their uniforms? She really didn’t want to have to change on the train. Hannah thought better of it and slipped into her uniform, dressing more carefully then she had in her entire life. Once she was clothed, she stood and walked over to the mirror that was propped up on the same wall where her desk sat, just opposite her bed. She smoothed out the wrinkles of her skirt and smiled as she looked at her reflection. Her still wet hair hung loosely around her face but it was already starting to form back into its waves and it looked quite good in contrast with the black uniform. The blank tie bothered her though. It was supposed to change color once she was sorted into her house but it looked rather odd now compared to the whiteness of her blouse underneath. Hannah thought about what the different house colors would look like on her tie. Merlin, she hoped she got to be in Gryffindor. No matter what her father said about house equality, Hannah would bawl her eyes out if she didn’t make it into the house where her family had been before. She didn’t let herself think about it much, but if Sirius could be in Gryffindor, so could she. Plus, red was her color. She was torn out of her thoughts by Remus’ voice calling her down for breakfast and she tore out of her room, a wide smile on her face as she jumped up on the banister and slid down it, only to trip on her new robes and fall flat on her face.

“I thought you might do that.” Remus said with a cocky smile on his face as he held a hand out to help her up. Grumbling about stupid robes, Hannah took his hand and stood up. She backed up a few paces before sticking her arms out and spinning around.

“How do I look?” she said with grin as she turned to look at her father once she was sure he’d seen her full uniform.

“You look like you’ve never heard of a tie before.” Remus said with a grin and he walked over to fix it for her. “Honestly, I’ve showed you how to do this a hundred times since we bought it.” He complained as he twisted it into something presentable.

“It’s harder than it looks!” Hannah protested as she tucked the properly tied tie under her vest. Remus just laughed and led the way into the kitchen where he’d apparently gotten up as early as Hannah to make breakfast for the pair of them. He smiled at the look on Hannah’s face once she saw the large stack of chocolate chip pancakes and threw herself down in her seat and began to pile them on her plate.

“Thought we’d go out with a bang this last breakfast.” Remus said as he sat himself down at the table and poured two cups of coffee. Making them exactly the same; with an insane amount of sugar and cream. Hannah just nodded her approval as her mouth was stuffed full of pancakes. Remus smiled at her and reminded her to pace herself before she choked and died. Hannah rolled her eyes and grabbed the coffee cup to wash the pancakes down and the two of them talked and bickered one last time before Hannah would be gone. Once they finished breakfast, Hannah jumped up out of her seat and ran to her room where she slung her father’s backpack over one shoulder. She’d filled it with books and snacks for the ride that she wanted to keep close to her. She then made to grab her trunk and haul it down the stairs but then her father was there, flicking his wand and making the trunk appear downstairs, pretending not to see when his daughter flipped him the bird and informed him that she was perfectly capable of taking the trunk down herself. They walked down the stairs together so Hannah could not slide down the banister and when they got downstairs, Hannah made for the door.

“Um, no ma’am. Sit down.” Remus said as he pointed to the couch and the coffee table where he’d sat out the things he needed to fix his daughter’s hair. Hannah sighed but was secretly grateful as she knew her hair needed it. Remus savored every second that he got as he braided his daughter’s hair back on her head. She was really going away. No more mornings waking up to the sound of a bludger being whacked repeatedly or nights spent curled up on the couch watching old movies and eating raw cookie dough shamelessly. He was going to miss her a lot and he really was considering writing five times a week just to see how she was doing. Remus sighed as he twisted the hair tie around the end of her braid. Hannah jumped up and ran to the door, stopping when her Dad said her name.

“Aren’t you forgetting someone?” he said as he stood up from the couch and slipped on his shoes, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Ziggy!” Hannah yelled and she ran over to the owl who hooted happily at the attention and stuffed him in his cage. She ran back over to the door and her father smiled at the back of her head as he pointed his wand at her trunk and levitated it to the old army green Honda Civic that sat parked in their driveway. They didn’t get to use it much so it was always a happy surprise when Remus turned the key in the ignition and the engine sprang to life. They made the drive to London in good time, arriving at the platform at exactly 10:30. The pair made their way to Platform 9 and ¾ and chatted happily as they stepped casually through the barrier. Hannah flinched as they hit the brick and Remus smiled and put a hand on her shoulder, urging her to open her squeezed shut eyes and look at the large scarlet steam engine that stood in front of them. Hannah gaped as Remus looked around and smiled politely at familiar faces. Once the shock wore off, Hannah began craning her neck to look for Hermione’s bushy hair. After a few minutes of searching, Hannah realized she must not be on the platform yet. Defeated, she stepped back into her father, who raised an eyebrow at her.

“Want to go ahead and get your stuff on the train? I’m sure she’ll show up.” He said and Hannah nodded and began to push the cart holding her trunk, backpack, and Ziggy over to the train. They were at the end of the train which Remus said was good as Hermione would have to start looking there if she came right in through the barrier. Together they lifted Hannah’s trunk into the compartment and Remus doubled back to get Hannah’s backpack and Ziggy, handing them off to her before straitening to look around the compartment.

“Weird, being back here.” He said in a nostalgic voice as he looked around at the seats and floor that had not changed a bit. He’d first met Sirius, James, and Peter in a compartment like this. He’d been sitting by himself with his nose buried in a book when Peter showed up at the door, looking nervous and sweaty, asking if he could sit with him. Remus, eager to make friends had said yes of course and soon the two boys were chatting happily. Shortly after, Sirius and James had stridden into the compartment, already looking like they owned the place, asking who they were and if these seats were taken. Remus to this day did not know how Sirius and James were already acquainted but he was pretty sure it had something to do with the large amount of firecrackers that went off in the boy’s bathroom later on that train ride. Peter had stuttered his name and reached a sweaty hand out to the boys who each shook it gingerly before turning to Remus who calmly introduced himself and stuck out a thin hand for each boy to shake. The pair did not make him nervous and Remus’ first impression was that they seemed a bit full of themselves. His instincts were right as usual but those two boys had turned into the love of his life and the closest thing Remus would ever have to a brother. Remus sighed as he looked around the compartment, trying not to let Sirius too close to the surface. He was only slightly shocked when he turned to see his daughter again and saw her large amber eyes filled to the brim with tears.

“Oh, puppy what’s wrong?” he said as he grabbed her shoulders and sat the two of them down in a seat.

“Nothing, nothing.” Hannah said, already wiping the tears that had fallen off of her face. “Just a bit nervous, that’s all.” She said and even though Remus knew she was lying he laughed.

“There’s nothing to be nervous about, love. It’ll all be fine you’ll see. You’re going to love Hogwarts. I promise.” He said and Hannah only sniffled in response.

“I’m going to miss you so much, daddy.” She said finally, looking up into his face and Remus had to force his own tears down as he brought Hannah in for a hug.

“I’m going to miss you too puppy.” He mumbled into her hair and Hannah sniffled some more. “But you have Ziggy, you can write me whenever you want. And Christmas is only a few months away. We’ll see each other again in no time.” He pulled away and wiped the tears off of her face before standing.

“I’m gonna go stand on the platform. I’m not sure if I’m even allowed to be in here.” He said with a grin as he made towards the door. “Everything will be fine, puppy. I swear it. I love you.” He said as he reached the door and smiled at his daughter.

“I love you too, daddy.” Hannah smiled back at him and soon he was walking out of the compartment, shutting it behind him. Hannah had to force down more tears, telling herself if anyone came in it would look weird if she’d been crying. She straightened up in her seat and looked around the compartment. She had Ziggy right next to her, looking at her with his own large amber eyes and she ran a finger over the top of his head before grabbing a book out of her backpack and sticking her face in it, shoving her bag under her seat. A few minutes later, Hannah looked up to a knock on her compartment door. A tall, skinny, freckled, red haired boy with a mischievous face smiled at her. She got up and opened the door, raising her eyebrows at the boy.

“Mind if we set our friend up in here? Everywhere else is full.” He said in a fast voice and Hannah mumbled a sure before stepping out of the way and letting three boys into her compartment, carrying one large school trunk which they fought to get under the seat opposite Hannah’s. Hannah stared in shock at the other red haired boy; it was like seeing double. She blushed when he stood up and winked at her.

“I know, I know, I’m insanely good looking.” He said with a wild grin and his twin bumped him on the arm.

“Oi Freddie she’s just a first year, leave her alone.” He said but he smiled at his brother fondly. “I’m George.” He said, once he turned his head back to look at Hannah. “Ignore this ugly git he wouldn’t know manners if they put on a grass skirt and danced the hula in front of him.” He said and Hannah giggled as Fred punched his brother back and the two wrestled their way out of the compartment, completely forgetting to ask Hannah for her name. Hannah smiled as she closed the door and turned around and sat back in her seat. She could be friends with those boys too! They seemed nice enough. George and Freddie? She’d have to ask again. Hannah was completely distracted as she went to pick up her book and nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice spoke up across from her.

“Er… hi.”

Hannah looked up at the third boy that she’d completely forgotten had been the reason the twins came into her compartment in the first place. Her heart dropped to her stomach. Hannah had seen many pictures of James Potter in the course of 11 years. Photos that Remus had framed, photos he left in books as marks by accident, even the large scrapbooks that James made of the four boys that sat on the bottom of their bookshelf. This boy looked like exactly like James Potter only with seemingly deliberate mistakes. His nose was slightly shorter, he had a lightening shaped scar on his forehead, his glasses were broken and bent together with what looked like duct tape, his skin was a few shades lighter, and he had bright green eyes that Hannah also recognized from the many pictures of Lily Evans she’d also seen. Harry Potter was sitting in her compartment, smiling awkwardly at her, looking nervous and possibly even scared. Pulling herself together, Hannah flashed what she hoped was a friendly smile and held out her hand.

“Oh, hi! Sorry! Don’t know where my mind went. I’m Hannah. Hannah Lupin.”

When Harry entered the compartment he’d been worried that he was going to bother the small girl that already occupied it. He’d shaken his head vigorously at the red haired twin when he’d knocked on the glass door but either he did not see him or he didn’t care, and they’d walked right in and stuffed his trunk under the seat opposite her. He’d overheard their conversation and had to try not to laugh as he sat down and wrung his hands. When the girl turned and sat down, she appeared to be ignoring him. Harry was nervous and didn’t want to upset her but she looked nice enough and she’d said he could come in so? Should he say something? He had and when she’d jumped so had he, nervous that she was going to start yelling at him. Instead the girl looked up at him and a blank expression came over her face. Harry could not help but notice that she was very pretty. She had jet black hair quite like his own, except it was pulled back on her head in a neat braid, a spray of freckles on her cheeks and nose that faded out just before two elegant arched black eyebrows, and large eyes colored an almost inhuman amber that gazed at him blankly for a few moments before she smiled, revealing two deep dimples on her cheeks, and warmth reached them.

“No worries. I’m Harry. Harry Potter.”

“Yes, I thought you might be.” Hannah said casually as she sat back in her seat and treated him to a grin. “I just didn’t want to assume and make it weird.”

“You thought I might be me?” Harry said, blood rushing to his face when he realized his question sounded rather stupid. He’d become familiar with the fact that he was famous but it was definitely still weird. Hannah laughed before answering.

“Well yea, the scar.” She lied as she pointed towards her own forehead in demonstration.

A whistle sounded and Hannah shot up out of her seat like she’d been shocked and ran over to the open window, poking her head out of it and scanning the crowd until her eyes settled on a tall thin man with white scars on his face and hands and curly auburn hair that was approaching the window, beaming at her. Hannah beamed back just as brightly before turning her head back into the compartment to speak to Harry.

“That’s my Dad. Come and say hello.” She said before tuning her head back out of the window and Harry stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say or do, he poked his head out of the window as well and looked down at the man whose face went just as blank as his daughter’s had for a few moments before breaking out in a polite smile. 

“Daddy, this is Harry. We’re sharing a compartment.” Hannah said and Harry did not miss the waver of excitement in her voice as she spoke.

“Hello.” Harry said politely and the man smiled wider.

“Hello Harry, I’m Remus. You’ll have to excuse my daughter, she’s never been one for subtlety. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, sir.” 

“No need to call me s-“ Remus’ words were cut off by another whistle and he turned back to his daughter as the train started to move.

“Be good!” He said as he walked along beside the train. “Write when you can! I love you!”

“I will! I love you too!” she said back and Harry, feeling like he was intruding, gave Remus a small wave before sitting back into his seat. Hannah stuck her head back in and closed the window as the train started to pick up speed and the platform disappeared. Harry noticed that Hannah’s eyes were wet and he searched his brain for something comforting to say.

“Sorry if I was too forward.” Hannah said before he could speak, wiping the tears from her eyes and smiling at him. “I just wanted you to meet him.”

Harry shrugged and was about to say he didn’t mind and that her father seemed very nice when two girls dressed in black robes with blue ties passed the door to their compartment and stopped and gaped at him for a moment before being yelled at by a tall boy dressed in black robes with a green tie and told to get a move on. The tall boy hesitated when he made eye contact with Harry and sneered before walking off. 

Hannah snorted. “Reckon you’ll be getting a lot of that. It would piss me off if it was me.”

Harry nodded in agreement and started to say something about it already being annoying, being gaped at all the time was starting to wear on his nerves and for some reason he already felt comfortable enough with this girl to share, when a tall, thin, red headed boy, with a long nose appeared and knocked at the door. Harry recognized him immediately as Ron; the youngest boy out of the family that had helped him get onto the platform.

“Mind if I sit here?” He asked with a nervous expression. “Everywhere else is full.”

“Not at all.” Hannah said kindly and she grabbed the large cage that held a big black barn owl and moved it to the shelf above their heads. “Here, I’ll move Ziggy.” She said as she moved and when she reached to put up the owl, Harry realized how short she was. She had to stand on her tippy toes to reach the shelf and push the hooting owl up on top of it. Harry and Hannah both had to help Ron get his trunk stored under the seat and after a few minutes they all fell back, panting, onto the seats. Ron looked around at Harry and Hannah before sticking out a long fingered hand to each of them.

“I’m Ron by the way. Ron Weasley.”

“Hannah Lupin. Nice to meet you, Ron.”

“Harry Potter. Same here.”

Ron gaped at Harry when he said his name and Hannah rolled her eyes over his shoulder in a ‘told you so’ kind of way. Harry had to suppress a grin as he shook the redheads’ hand.

“Blimey, and I thought Fred and George were just having a go at me.” He said as he sat back in the seat next to Hannah. “Have you really got… you know…” He pointed to his own forehead and Harry smiled as he pulled his messy hair out of the way of his scar. Ron gaped at it before asking something that made Hannah grit her teeth.

“So that’s where You-Know-Who..?”

“Yes. But I can’t remember it.” Harry answered.

“Nothing?” Ron said eagerly and Hannah cleared her throat and treated him to a glare that was made only more intense with her bright amber eyes.

“Let’s talk about something else, eh?” She said and Ron turned bright red, obviously embarrassed that he’d asked Harry about something so personal. Harry sat in the awkward silence that followed before remembering a question he’d wanted to ask before.

“So your owl’s name is Ziggy?” he said to Hannah and she smiled before answering yes. “Like Ziggy Stardust?” He asked and Hannah’s smile grew wider. Harry hadn’t gotten much freedom at the Dursley’s and Bowie’s music was what they called ‘hooligan rubbish’ which only made Harry want to listen to it more. When the Dursley’s left occasionally and Harry had the house to himself, he’d sneak up to the smallest bedroom and use the spare TV, flipping channels before finding the one that played music and sitting back and listening until he heard their car roll up in the driveway.

“You like Bowie?” Hannah said excitedly.

“Who’s Bowie?” Ron said with a puzzled look. Harry was offended but Hannah turned to him and seemingly unfazed, informed him that he was a muggle musician. Ron nodded but still looked confused so Hannah took pity on him and decided to change the subject.

“What’s your owl’s name?” She said to Harry as she pointed at the large snowy owl in the cage next to him. Harry smiled at his pet before answering.

“Hedwig.” He said and Hannah nodded her head in approval of the name before turning to Ron and, wanting to include him, asked…

“Do you have a pet?”

Ron looked upset for some reason and Hannah became aware of how stupid of a question it had been, he obviously wasn’t hiding a cat in his bag. But then Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a large fat grey rat that seemed to be asleep.

“Yeah.” He said gloomily. “His name’s Scabbers and he’s useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my Dad for being a prefect, but they couldn’t aff- I mean, I got Scabbers instead.” Ron’s ears went pink and she was about to speak up and say something about owls being very expensive these days when Harry beat her to it with something much better.

“There’s nothing wrong with not being able to afford an owl, I don’t think.” He said and Ron looked up at him with a hopeful expression on his face. “I never had any money either up until a month ago when I found out what my parents had left me. My Aunt and Uncle never liked me much so I used to have to wear my cousin’s old clothes and I never had any proper birthday presents until Hedwig.” Harry finished and Ron looked happier as Harry began to talk about how he’d found out he was a wizard. Hannah on the other hand was furious. She’d seen her father ask Minerva many times if Dumbledore had changed his mind about Harry coming to live with them and her answer always stayed the same. She’d watched her father’s face fall too many times and Hannah knew that Remus would’ve taken care of Harry just as well as he took care of her but he never got to. And now she finds out Harry is being mistreated by those muggles? Could Dumbledore be turning down Remus’ offer because of his condition? Surely not… Dumbledore was always very accepting of Remus’ lycanthropy. So why was Harry still living with those filthy, rotten-

“… about my parents or Voldemort-“

Ron jumped like a gun had gone off and gasped dramatically. Hannah just stared, a blank expression on her face. None of them paid it any mind, but the fat rat still clutched in Ron’s hand jerked awake and gave a terrified squeak. 

“What? Have I got something on my face?” Harry said and Hannah laughed but Ron’s face stayed pale and worried.

“You said You-Know-Who’s name!” he said, sounding like a mixture of shocked and impressed. “I’d have thought you of all people…”

“Him of all people should be the one saying Voldemort’s name.” Hannah said and shrugged when they both turned to look at her; Ron shocked and Harry curious. “My father told me fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself. Say it all you want, Harry. He’s got rights to it if you ask me.” She said and Ron nodded along thoughtfully. Harry felt slightly better about all he didn’t know in the wizarding world. If Hannah was so accepting, maybe everyone else would be too.

“But wait, Harry.” Hannah said, interrupting his train of thought.

“Yeah?”

“Did you say you never knew anything about your parents?” She asked with an odd expression on her face that Harry couldn’t read.

Harry shook his head. “Not until Hagrid told me. My Aunt and Uncle had been telling me they died in a car crash.”

“A CAR CRASH?” Hannah and Ron said in unison.

Harry just laughed. “Yeah, bit stupid compared to the real thing.” Ron laughed but Hannah sat back in her seat, her arms folded.

“Yeah… a bit…” She mumbled and suddenly Harry was curious.

“Why’d you ask?”

Hannah looked up at him with surprisingly sad eyes. “Oh, nothing.” She said and when green eyes remained on her face looking unsatisfied, she sighed. “Well, alright. Our parents were friends back at school. Close friends.” She said and Harry felt his heart soar. He’d just met her father on the platform! He’d met one of his parent’s friends!

“Really?” he said excitedly and Hannah smiled at him.

“Yeah, I just grew up hearing a lot about them. I can’t believe you didn’t know…” she said with a sigh and Harry only felt slightly bad when he continued to press her for information about his parents.

“Harry, I’m the same age as you how would I remember meeting them?

Yeah, he’s got pictures up of them.

You don’t have any?!?! Of course I can get you some!

Yeah we were around each other a lot. My Dad says our names are similar because they wanted us to be like matching or whatever.

No, my middle name is Hope, not Lily.

Yeah we do have your baby pictures up but I’m in them too. I was way cuter by the way.

Well yeah, but you look just like him.

I wasn’t gonna just walk up to you and say, ‘hello son of James’.

Everything is him except for the eyes, yeah. Those are your mom’s.

They met at Hogwarts and were friends up until… well you know.”

Hannah looked sad so Harry stopped pressing, sitting back in his seat with his ears buzzing with all this new information about his parents. Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside the compartment and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door.

“Anything from the trolley, dears?” she asked with a smile. Harry, having missed breakfast, leapt to his feet while Hannah and Ron remained sitting. Hannah smiled at the witch and said a polite no thank you and Ron muttered the same, his ears turning pink again. Harry went out in the corridor and Hannah opened up her bag to reveal the snacks she’d packed the night before. Ron reached in his bag and pulled out a lumpy sandwich.

Hannah wrinkled her nose. “No offense, but what the hell is that? It reeks.”

Ron’s ears turned a light scarlet and he muttered something about corned beef. Hannah, realizing she’d been rude, reached into her bag and pulled out a few Mars Bars that she shoved into Ron’s protesting hands.

“Eat them. They’re muggle but they’re good.” She said and Ron finally accepted, biting into one and then immediately giving Hannah a thumbs up and a chocolatey smile, making her giggle. Harry walked back into the compartment, struggling to close the door with his foot as his arms were full of what looked like some of everything on the cart. Hannah roared with laughter as Harry threw the sweets down on his seat and Ron snorted.

“Hungry, are you?”

“Starving.” Harry said as he bit into a pumpkin pasty and flipped the still laughing Hannah a bird. Harry looked over at the small stack of Mars Bars that his two new friends were sharing and frowned.

“You two help yourselves.” He gestured to his large pile of sweets. “Go on.” He said when they both looked at him with blank faces. Harry had never had anything to share before or anyone to share it with and he discovered that it was a nice feeling, sitting with the two of them, slowly eating their way through Harry’s massive pile of sweets. Hannah zoned out a bit when Harry and Ron began discussing chocolate frogs. Hannah was here, headed to Hogwarts, with real friends! She’d never had real friends before to share her stuff with that she hadn’t been at least slightly related to! Next to her, Ron was thinking along the same lines. They both smiled to themselves and grabbed another sweet.

Hannah studied Harry’s face as he laughed and talked with Ron. She was also here with Harry Potter, the boy that she was supposed to have grown up with. She smiled back at Harry when he joked at her and she felt her heart soar. They were going to be friends either way! Hannah grinned and chucked a box of sugar mice at him. He laughed and Hannah studied his face some more. She couldn’t help but notice, well, that Harry was kind of cute. He had a large crooked grin that showed off mostly straight teeth but his canine teeth in the front were very pronounced, giving him the look of someone who just had to be up to no good, and two arched eyebrows that fit his forehead so that if he moved the right way they blended into the messy mop on top of his head that was his hair, light brown skin, a small nose that had an even smaller bump just at the top, and even though the rest of his body was scrawny and already tall for his age, baby fat remained on his cheeks.

Hannah was shaken out of her thoughts by a knock on the door and she turned to see a nervous looking boy poke his head in the compartment and look around at the three of them.

“Sorry. But have any of you seen a toad at all?” They all shook their heads and he let out a wail. “I’ve lost him! He keeps getting away from me!”

“He’ll turn up.” Harry said reassuringly. He felt bad for the boy. His face was round and rather chubby, as was the rest of his body, and he had short mousy brown hair that stuck out of the top of his head like it was trying to get away from him.

“Yes. Well… if you see him…” He said as he closed the door sounding miserable and worried.

“Don’t know why he’s so bothered. If I brought a toad I’d lose it as quick as I could.” Ron said.

Hannah snorted. “You brought a half dead rat, Weasley.” She said and Harry laughed from his seat.

“Right you are, Lupin. I really can’t talk.” Ron said as he looked down at his unconscious rat with a look of disgust.

“Just chuck him out the window if you hate him that much. Or do a spell to make him do flips. Something cooler.” Hannah said as she poked the rat with her pinky finger.

“I tried a spell to turn him yellow the other day but it didn’t work.” Ron said in a pitiful voice. “I’ll show you, look…” He pulled a battered looking wand out of his trunk and commented on the unicorn hair sticking out of the side before raising it and preparing to cast his yellow spell. Interrupting him, the compartment door opened and there stood the round faced boy, only with a new girl this time.

“Hermione!” Hannah said with delight from her seat by the window.

“Oh hello!” Hermione said, beaming at Hannah. “I looked around for you in a few different compartments but I didn’t see you anywhere. I got here a bit late, I’m afraid. Car broke down. I was so scared I’d miss the train.”

“That’s alright. I looked for you when I got here but didn’t see-“

“You two know each other?” Ron interrupted, raising an eyebrow at the new girl.

“Oh right.” Hannah said. “This is Hermione. Hermione, the loud one is Ron and the other one is Harry.” Hermione smiled at the two of them.

“I’m Neville.” The round faced boy said.

Everyone was silent for a beat and Hannah got the strong urge to laugh.

“Hi Neville.” Harry said and a look of relief passed over Neville’s face.

Hermione broke the tension that caused by sitting down rather close next to Ron, who looked at her like she’d just slapped him.

“Are you doing magic? Let’s see then.” Hermione said in her bossy voice and Hannah realized Ron still had his wand raised.

“Er… all right.” He said before raising his wand and clearing his voice awkwardly.

_‘Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,_

_Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow.’_

Scabbers stayed grey and fast asleep.

Hannah snorted and Hermione spoke again.

“Are you sure that’s a real spell? Well, it’s not very good, is it? I’ve tried a few simple spells just for practice and it’s all worked for me. Nobody in my family’s magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it’s the very best school of witchcraft there is, I’ve heard… I’ve learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough.” Hermione said in a very fast voice and Hannah noticed that Hermione seemed rather flustered around Ron. She certainly hadn’t acted like that when they met. Hannah grinned to herself and saved this information for later.

“Do any of you know what house you’ll be in?” Hermione began again. “I’ve been asking around, and I hope I’m in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn’t be too bad… Anyway, we’d better go and look for Neville’s toad. You boys had better change, you know, I expect we’ll be arriving soon. I’ll see you on the platform, Hannah.” She said and she left quickly with Neville.

“Whatever house I’m in, I hope she’s not in it.” Ron said with a sigh.

“Why?” Hannah said defensively, but after watching Hermione puke words all over Ron she still had a slight grin plastered on her face.

“Well no offense, but she’s kind of mental.” Ron said and Hannah shrugged. Hermione being mental was one of the things she liked about her so she couldn’t really argue back with that. The boys started to discuss houses and Hannah zoned out again, worrying about what house she’d be in. When Harry asked her what she wanted, Hannah grunted a Gryffindor before going back to her worries. Ron began to talk about his brothers and then quidditch and Hannah stayed silent through it all, pondering if Hufflepuff would really be that bad. She was interrupted from her thoughts when their compartment door opened for the third time that day and three boys stepped in. Two large ugly boys stood on the sides of a smaller boy with pale blonde hair and skin almost as white as his button-up shirt. He wore a cocky expression and looking at the trio, Hannah was forcibly reminded of the few seconds of an old cheesy mafia boss movie that Remus had scoffed at before he skipped it. Silver eyes spared a glance at Hannah and Ron before coming to rest on Harry, an odd glaze coming over them.

“Can we help you?” Hannah said with a glare. She did not like the look of these boys and she especially did not like the way the pale boy was looking at Harry.

“We just came to see if it was true.” The pale boy said, taking his eyes off Harry and looking at Hannah instead. His upper lip curled in what looked like disgust before he turned back to Harry. “They’re saying all down the train that Harry Potter’s in this compartment. So it’s you, is it?”

“Yes.” Harry said and Hannah had the strong urge to laugh at the level of attitude in his voice.

“Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle.” He said, gesturing in a way he obviously thought was casual. Hannah thought he looked like a prick. “And my name’s Malfoy, Draco Malfoy.”

Ahhhh. Now it made sense. Hannah had heard her Aunt yell about her sister and her brother-in-law many times and as soon as the name Malfoy left Draco’s lips, Hannah did not bother trying to hide her laugh. Ron did though and Draco, sensing weakness, sprung.

“Think my name’s funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasley’s have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford. You’ll soon learn that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.” Draco said and he held out a hand for Harry to shake. Harry looked at his hand like it was something he’d stepped in.

“I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks.” He said and Draco’s cheeks went slightly pink.

“I’d be careful if I were you, Potter. Unless you’re a bit politer you’ll go the same way as your paren-“ Draco’s words were cut off as Hannah stood and pressed the wand she’d slowly taken out of her bag when the boys entered the compartment to his throat. Behind her, Harry and Ron stood.

“Watch your mouth, Malfoy. Or I’ll make sure your parents get what they missed out on.” Hannah said with a sneer and Draco managed a calm face as her wand dug into the skin that covered his throat. He was taller and the two boys behind him were cracking their knuckles menacingly but Hannah had never felt less afraid in her life. She had a bad temper that she’d inherited from Sirius and blood had been pounding in her ears ever since Draco had turned on Ron. Right now, Hannah was seeing red and she wanted nothing more than to curse Draco into oblivion, she just didn’t know how. But she looked like she did and Draco’s eyes flickered with fear and he stuck his hands out to stop his friends from attacking her, may she panic and curse him. He looked into her bright amber eyes and recognition passed over his face. Another one his father had told him about. Draco scoffed.

“Lupin.” He said and Hannah’s face twisted into a smile.

“That’s right. Now get.” She spoke like she might speak to a dog and flicked her wand at the trio that backed slowly out of the compartment. Hannah closed the door behind them and turned around with her eyes shut.

“That was bloody awesome!” Ron exclaimed and Hannah heard Harry agree.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Hannah counted and drew deep breaths.

“Are you alright?” Harry said and he set a hand on her shoulder. Hannah opened her eyes to see his green ones staring at her, full of concern. Hannah smiled.

“I’m okay. I just get angry.” She said and went and sat back down in her seat. Harry and Ron followed her lead. Ron nodded.

“My brother Charlie used to get that. He’d have to count up to ten and then back down and sometimes he’d still be mad.” He said to Hannah and she shrugged.

“It’s a pain in the ass but yeah.”

“Bloody useful for shitheads like Malfoy though isn’t it?”

Hannah closed her eyes and set her head against the cold window as Harry and Ron verbally abused Draco. Hannah must’ve drifted off, because soon Harry was shaking her awake, dressed in his uniform and telling her that they were there. Hannah jumped up and left her things in the compartment as Harry and Ron were doing and stepped out into the crowded walkway. Ron’s elbow kept poking her and she shoved him into Harry a few times until they made it to the platform and stepped out in the cool night air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie. There's also a few songs mentioned that are on his album 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'.


	5. Buddy - Year One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *CW* mention of panic attacks.  
> quoting from the Philosopher's Stone

Remus stepped back into their small cottage, taking a deep breath. It was so quiet. Without Hannah by his side, chatting and teasing, Remus felt very lonely and it dawned on him suddenly that he’d never been in the cottage without Hannah before except for the nights of his transformations. He’d never gone to bed without knowing she was safe and sound in the room across the hall. How was he going to take months of this? Remus walked into the kitchen and, needing something to do, started a cup of tea. His hands shook as he moved and thought of what Hannah was doing now. It had been almost four hours since the train left. Remus had forgotten how long it took the train to get to Hogwarts but he stood stirring his tea and imagined Hannah sitting in a compartment with Harry, chatting happily. Lord, Harry…

When he’d poked his messy head out of the window, Remus had thanked God that he wasn’t prone to heart failure. He’d not been expecting him at all and at first glance; Harry was James as Remus had seen him so many years ago, striding into his compartment, looking almost exactly alike bar the cocky expression. Remus would’ve been lying if he’d said he hadn’t been glancing around for the boy when his daughter was craning her neck to look for her bushy haired friend. He’d been hoping to see him before he got on the train, just a glimpse of the boy that he’d heard was just a small replica of the man he’d once loved more than himself. But he’d gotten so, so much better. His daughter introducing him to Harry and explaining that they were sharing a compartment was just too perfect for Remus and he’d almost burst out laughing before greeting the boy. It was like James was sitting up in heaven, pulling strings and laughing his ass off. Then Harry had opened his mouth and it was not like speaking to James at all. Suddenly, Remus was talking to Lily. The boy had been so polite and even called him sir! Remus wasn’t even sure James knew the word sir at Harry’s age. He’d wanted to cry at the thought of speaking to Lily again and now he did, letting all the pent up stress and sadness at his daughter leaving and meeting his two best friend’s son again so informally spill out of him as he sunk onto the kitchen floor, forgetting his tea completely. Remus sobbed and sobbed and soon his breath grew quicker, as images of what Remus had imagined his daughter’s leaving for Hogwarts would’ve been like surfaced in his mind. Sirius smiling and pretending he wasn’t crying, James doing exactly the same and Remus, Lily, and Pete being the only ones that looked like that had it together. They should’ve waved their son off while he waved his daughter off and when the train disappeared Sirius should’ve stuck his hand in Remus’ back pocket like he’d used to before leading them off the platform to go get something to eat. They should’ve been a family.

Remus’ breath was fast and labored and he stuck his head in between his knees and focused on the pattern of the tiles he sat on, training his attention on them and slowly but surely forcing his breath back to normal. Remus straightened and leaned back against the cabinet. He hadn’t done that in years. Ashamed at himself, Remus stood up and grabbed his tea before walking out into their living room and moving to turn on the small TV that sat on one of the shelves of his bookshelf. As he bent down to turn it on, a moving picture caught his eye. Remus looked up to see the picture of Sirius and Remus holding Hannah when she’d first been born. Sirius smiled happily at him before turning to his daughter, his baby, and grabbing her small fist; making it wave at the camera James had been holding. Rage filled Remus and his vision went black around the edges as he grabbed the picture and threw it at the opposite wall, shattering it completely. Remus ran around the shelf and grabbed every picture that Sirius was in and threw it as hard as he could. Sirius should’ve been there today. Even if Lily and James were gone Sirius should’ve been there, he shouldn’t have been the reason and he should’ve been there to wave his daughter goodbye. Remus did not get angry often about what Sirius had done, he was not prone to anger unless it was around the time of his transformation, but the few times he did; he was unstoppable until he wore himself out. 

Panting, Remus flung himself down on the couch and looked at the mess of photographs he’d caused. He’d have to fix them before Hannah came home, she’d never forgive him if she saw them destroyed like this. But Remus had time and he stared off into space and sipped at his tea, letting his heart rate return to normal before grabbing a book off the coffee table and opening it up to read. He let his mind disappear into the book and it was dark outside by the time he blinked sleepily and stood, walking up the stairs and to his bedroom where he flung himself down on the bed and fell asleep almost immediately, still completely dressed down to his shoes.

**

Hannah stared up in awe at the biggest man she’d ever seen in her life. Hannah had never met anyone taller than her father before. Remus stood at 6’4 and though she’d met many friends and family over the years, none of them were taller than him. The childish part of Hannah’s mind had just supposed that Remus was the tallest out of everyone she’d ever meet. But this man was gigantic. He towered over all the students, waving a large hand and directing traffic while shouting…

“Firs’ years! Firs’ years over here!”

He had a loud booming voice and as Harry led the way over to him, Hannah stumbled along behind, slightly apprehensive. Harry did not seem afraid of the man, in fact he looked eager to see him, so Hannah looked over at Ron to see his reaction. They shared a nervous glance and Hannah was relived to see that she wasn’t the only one that was scared. 

“All right there, Harry?” the man said, beaming down at him. Hannah looked over at Harry to see him smiling back and she couldn’t hold back her response.

“You know him?” She said and Harry turned to look at her.

“Yeah, that’s Hagrid. The guy I told you about.”

“Ohhh.” Ron said from next to Harry. “Charlie told me about him. I didn’t know he was THAT big.”

Harry chuckled. “Just imagine him kicking down your door at 12 o’clock at night.” Ron shivered.

“I’d piss myself.” Hannah said matter-of-factly and the trio laughed as they followed the rest if the first years down a dark narrow path. They suddenly realized that they were the only ones speaking, everyone else had gone quiet. They lapsed into a silence and Hannah heard Neville sniffle a few times behind her.

“Yeh’ll get yer first sight o’ Hogwarts in a sec.” Hagrid yelled over her shoulder. Hannah jumped at the noise and had to remind herself that Hagrid had been nice to Harry. “Jus’ round this bend here.”

There was a collective gasp from the small group. The narrow path had lead them to the edge of a vast black lake and they had a perfect view of the large castle that sat on the mountain of the other side. It was beautiful, sitting there in the night; its bright windows twinkled and a warm light shone out of them, glistening as it reflected on the lake. Suddenly Hannah noticed the small boats that were lined up at the edge of the lake and she grinned as she started to them, Ron and Harry trailing behind her.

“No more’n four to a boat!” Hagrid called and Hannah was joined in her boat by Harry and Ron. Shortly after, Hannah spotted Hermione pacing the shore, looking apprehensive. Hannah waved to her and called for her to sit in their boat and she pretended not to hear Ron’s groan from beside her as Hermione’s face lit up and she climbed in the boat and sat herself down next to Harry.

“Everyone in?” Hagrid shouted from his own boat. “Right then- FORWARD!” The little boats moved all at once and Hermione squealed and grabbed the edges of their boat to keep herself in. Ron rolled his eyes and Hannah elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to bend over wheezing as Harry laughed. Ron sat up and kicked Harry in the shin and the boat broke out in a playful scuffle, rocking it back and forth as Hannah, Harry, and Ron fought.

“Will you three stop! You’re going to tip the boat!” Hermione said in a bossy voice and they all sat down grinning, each saying they won as their boat went back to sliding across the water smoothly.

“Heads down!” Hagrid yelled as they reached a small cliff on the side of the mountain. They all ducked as their boats passed through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, boats bumping into each other as they passed through the dark and Hannah seized the opportunity to hum the Jaws theme song as they floated. Everyone, even the children that grew up in a wizarding household, got scared and yelled for whoever that was to stop it and Hannah had to stuff her fist in her mouth to stop from giggling too loudly and revealing herself. Across the boat she could hear Harry sniggering and she smiled in the dark and poked his foot with hers. 

They reached an underground harbor and they all clambered out onto the rocks and pebbles. Hermione lost her footing as she climbed out and Ron had to catch her, releasing her immediately after she smiled at him and he realized who he was helping. Hannah and Harry smirked at the pair and began to mockingly make kissing noises at them. Ron turned a delicate shade of red and told them to shove off and Hermione snorted haughtily which only caused Hannah and Harry to giggle more.

“Oy, you there! Is this your toad?” Hagrid said as he leaned into the boat he’d been checking and pulled out a large green toad.

“Trevor!” Neville said as he reached out to take the toad from Hagrid. Once Neville had Trevor secured in his pocket, they all began to walk up the passageway that would lead them to the famous stone steps of Hogwarts’ entrance.

“Once we learn sticking charms, I’m gluing that toad to his forehead.” Hannah said under her breath to her friends. Harry and Ron giggled and Hermione bent her head down to smile. Soon they were walking up the stone steps and crowding around a large oak front door.

“Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?” Hagrid said and once Neville nodded his red face at him, he turned and raised a gigantic fist to the door, knocking three times and stepping back as it swung open. Hannah beamed when she saw Minerva standing at the entrance. Her brown eyes swept over the different students and paused for a fraction of a second on Harry and Hannah who were standing very close to each other and had obviously just been talking. Minerva bit back a smile and raised her head to look at Hagrid, who was talking to her.

“Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here.” She said as she pulled the door wide so they could all slip in. The entrance hall was huge and Hannah, Ron, Harry, and Hermione all gaped at it with open mouths as they allowed themselves to be lead across the flagged stone floor. They stopped at a small open chamber off the hall and filed into it, standing shoulder to shoulder even though the hall had plenty of room for personal space.

“Welcome to Hogwarts.” Minerva began and Hannah grinned at her. At her birthday party, Hannah had asked Minerva if she had a speech she said to the first years every time when she’d been explaining how the sorting was going to go. Minerva had smiled and said yes before repeating it to the entire table, all except Lyall smiled fondly at her, remembering when she’d said it to them on their first day. “the start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.”

Her eyes lingered on Neville’s cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron’s nose where he had some dirt smudged. Harry tried to flatten his hair and Hannah snorted from behind him, knowing he was fighting a losing battle.

“I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly.”

She left the chamber and Harry turned to Hannah, Ron, and Hermione, a nervous expression on his face. 

“How exactly do they sort us into houses?” He asked.

“Some sort of test, I think. Fred says it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking.” Ron responded, an equally nervous look on his face. Harry’s heart gave a jolt that quickly returned back to normal when he saw Hannah and Hermione laughing at them.

“What’s so funny?” Ron said defensively.

“Just your faces.” Hermione said with a giggle before her face settled into a nervous blank expression. Hannah stopped her laughing to look around at all of them in shock.

“Do you lot seriously not know?” she said with a growing grin, marveling in the fact that they were panicking over practically nothing.

“You do?” Ron said with a look of shock. “Fred and George said it was illegal for them to tell me when I asked.”

Hannah snorted. “Of course I know. It was in Hogwarts: A History.”

“No it wasn’t. It was mentioned but not specified.” Hermione said with a frown, wishing she had the book with her so she could pull it out and fact check herself.

“Oh, that’s right.” Hannah said, a look of comprehension coming over her face. “My Dad told me. It’s just a hat. We put it on our head and it reads our minds and sorts us.”

“It reads our minds?” Harry said, looking at her like she was crazy.

“Well yeah. Like it reads us and yells out what house we’re in.” Hannah answered.

“In front of everyone?” Ron said, his face going pale.

“Yeah.” Hannah sighed. “That’s what I’m nervous about. What if I trip or something?”

“You would.” Ron said with a snort and Hannah punched him in the arm. Harry was about to ask Hannah more about this hat when Professor McGonagall returned at the door.

“The Sorting Ceremony’s about to start. Now, form a line and follow me.” She said and Harry’s heart sank into his stomach. No matter what Hannah said, he was still nervous. This hat would place him with the people he’d be spending the rest of his time at Hogwarts with. Next to him, Hannah was thinking along the same lines. She’d acted casual but she felt more like screaming when she walked into the Great Hall and saw hundreds of already sorted students staring at her, sitting at four different tables lined up in the giant hall. She gulped as their small line formed into a crowd around stone stairs where a fifth table sat; full of teachers. She felt her hands shaking as Minerva grabbed a four legged stool and placed it at the top of the stairs, then turned and grabbed an old wizards’ hat and put it on the stool. For a few moments the hall was completely silent and Hannah got a strange urge to laugh. She bit it back, cursing herself, as the brim of the hat opened up like a mouth and began to sing.

_"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve and chivalry,_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin,_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means,_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The Great Hall broke out into applause and Hannah joined in weakly, but quickly stopped when she saw none of the other first years were clapping. When the applause died down, Minerva stepped forward now holding a long scroll of parchment.

“When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted.” Hannah’s heart began to beat faster in her chest as a girl that shared her name stepped up to the stool and was immediately sorted into Hufflepuff. Did they really have to do this in front of everyone else? What if she tripped and fell or the stool broke underneath her? Hannah didn’t feel very brave at all and when that thought crossed her mind, panic started to set in. What if the hat saw how scared she was and didn’t put her in Gryffindor? Hannah’s breath grew quicker and Harry looked over at her, bright green eyes full of concern. She smiled weakly at him but he did not buy it and under their robes he grabbed her small hand in his. Hannah noticed that his was rather sweaty and realized that he was probably very nervous too. On the other side of Hannah, Hermione was rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet and Hannah followed Harry’s lead and grabbed her hand. Hermione smiled at her and though Hannah could not see it, Ron and Harry’s hands were clasped firmly together on Harry’s other side.

“Granger, Hermione!” Minerva called and Hannah gave her friend’s hand a tight squeeze before letting go and nudging her up to the stool. Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head. After a few seconds the hat opened its mouth and shouted…

“GRYFFINDOR!” Ron groaned and Hannah stepped on his foot. Hermione ran over to the Gryffindor table, beaming at all the people clapping for her, and sat down towards the end where the rest of the first years had gone. She moved her head and watched as Neville fell on his way up to the stairs. She tried not to groan. Neville had been one of the only people that had been nice to her on the train ride and her heart soared as he was sorted into Gryffindor as well after a few minutes. He came and sat down next to her and she beamed at him.

“Well done, Neville!” she said and he looked at her with a shy smile.

“Think it made a mistake…” he answered and Hermione scoffed.

“Nonsense. You’re very brave!” She said and Neville’s answer was lost when Minerva opened her mouth and said…

“Lupin, Hannah!”

Hannah’s vision went momentarily white with panic and Harry grounded her by giving her hand a squeeze and nudging her slightly, just as she’d done for Hermione. Hannah took a deep breath before holding her head high and strutting up to the stool. She may feel like wetting her pants but she definitely wasn’t going to look it, Hannah thought determinedly as she reached the hat and gave Minerva a quick smile. As Hannah turned around to push her short legs up on the stool, she made eye contact with one of the teachers at the staff table. The man had a curtain of black greasy hair and a hooked nose and he was looking at Hannah like she was something he’d stepped in. Hannah tried not to let this bother her as she turned and folded her hands in her lap, kicking her feet and trying to look relaxed as Minerva placed the hat on her head.

_A Lupin and a Black! This should be difficult, you know._

The voice spoke in her ear and it took everything in Hannah to not jump and scream. Hannah was about to ask the hat to please put her in Gryffindor when it spoke again.

_But given the circumstances… better be…_

“GRYFFINDOR!” the hat yelled and Hannah’s heart soared as she hopped off the stool and gave the hat back to Minerva. She looked back into the crowd of first years and saw Ron and Harry grinning widely at her. Over at the Gryffindor table, they’d erupted in loud cheering and clapping and Hannah could barely contain her joy when she looked up and saw Minerva smiling down at her. It was all too perfect! She skipped over to the Gryffindor table and, unable to control herself, stuck her arms out and spun in a circle then bowed, welcoming more applause. Several people laughed and the Gryffindor table cheered louder as Hannah grinned at them all and skipped over to sit down next to Hermione. Over at the staff table, Severus Snape looked like he’d been force fed bubotuber pus.

“I’m so glad we’re in the same house!” Hermione said as Hannah got situated in her seat.

“Me too!” She answered and looked back at the sorting just in time to see her new least favorite person.

“Malfoy, Draco!” Professor McGonagall called and Harry and Ron shared a ‘get a load of this arsehole’ look as Draco swaggered up to the stool and sat down. McGonagall placed the hat on his head and soon had to grab it away as he was sorted immediately into Slytherin. 

“No surprises there.” Ron mumbled under his breath and Harry snorted. They still had their hands wound tightly around each other and while normally Harry would’ve shied away from the contact, he was very grateful for it now. He’d been very grateful when Hannah’s hand was in his own as well and he’d been astonished at his own bravery when he’d grabbed it. Now Hannah was in Gryffindor and Harry knew for sure that it was the house he’d wanted to be in. Especially if Ron was probably going there too.

“Potter, Harry!” Professor McGonagall called and Harry let go of Ron’s hand to walk up to the stool. He turned and sat as McGonagall placed the hat on his head. Back at the Gryffindor table, Hannah and Hermione watched with anticipation. Hannah really wanted Harry to be in the same house as her and was getting more and more nervous as the hat took its time sorting him. She crossed her fingers under the table and spent the rest of the few tense seconds glaring at people that were talking about Harry like he was some sort of zoo animal. Finally, the hat opened its mouth and said…

“GRYFFINDOR!” Hannah and Hermione jumped up and cheered the loudest out of the table that seemed to be exploding with sound, being by far the most deafening cheering any other student had gotten that entire night. Harry looked out into the small group of first years to see Ron jumping up and down with a big smile on his face, the only one celebrating. Harry grinned as he ran over to the Gryffindor table and sat down in the seat opposite Hannah.

“Congrats! I had my fingers crossed for you.” She said over the noise and Harry grinned at her, deliriously happy. They talked back and forth as the sorting went on and ignored the insistent hushing coming from Hermione. They smiled politely at Thomas, Dean when he came to join them and went back to talking for a few more minutes until Professor McGonagall called…

“Weasley, Ronald!”

Ron walked up to the stool looking very nervous and tinged a delicate shade of green. McGonagall placed the hat on his head and under the table, Harry crossed his fingers like Hannah had done for him. After a few seconds the hat opened its mouth and said…

“GRYFFINDOR!

The table erupted into cheers as Ron stumbled over and took a seat next to Harry, grinning as he was clapped on the back and Hannah raised both arms in the air, announcing that she now had all her ‘bitches’. After Zabini, Blaise went to Slytherin, Minerva stood rolled up her scroll and vanished the stool and hat with a wave of her wand. She took her seat at the staff table as Ron’s stomach made a loud rumbling noise. Hannah giggled at him as Albus Dumbledore got to his feet at the staff table. He beamed at all of them and spread his arms wide before speaking.

“Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!” Dumbledore sat back down as the hall clapped and cheered. Hannah snorted and then laughed when Harry turned to Ron’s red headed prefect brother who was sitting next to him and asked…

“Is he… a bit mad?”

“Mad?” Percy said as he piled food onto his plate from the large golden platter that sat in front of him. “He’s a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?” Harry gaped at the food that crowded the table like it was his first time noticing it was there. He grinned as he piled his plate with something of everything and looked over to see Hannah and Ron doing the same. Hannah saw him looking and smiled, showing off a mouthful of mashed potatoes. Harry faked gagged and Ron choked on his chicken wing in laughter. Harry had to thump him on the back a few times before his breathing went back to normal. The trio joked and laughed with each other, Hannah occasionally roping Hermione into their conversation. They struck up a conversation with their house ghost: Nearly Headless Nick. Remus had told Hannah all about him and said that he really didn’t like his nickname so Hannah addressed him as Sir Nicholas and cringed when Ron swallowed an unholy amount of food to say…

“My brothers told me about you! You’re Nearly Headless Nick!”

Nick sighed and began to inform them all of his real name when a boy Hannah had recently learned was called Seamus Finnigan interrupted.

“Nearly headless? How can you be nearly headless?” he asked and Nick grabbed his left ear and pulled, revealing a gruesome sight that made Hannah cough into her pumpkin juice. They chatted some more and soon a large array of desserts appeared at the table. Hannah cut herself a large slice of chocolate cake as her thoughts moved to her father. She already missed him. Hopefully he was doing alright… Her train of thought was interrupted by Harry, who clapped a hand to his forehead and yelled out in pain.

“Are you alright?” Hannah said and Harry nodded at her slowly, as if he was still processing something. Hannah frowned and looked over to where Harry had been staring a few moments ago. She was immediately met with the sight of the same greasy looking man that had stared her down when she’d been sorted. He was staring at the back of Harry’s head and looked like he was thinking hard. He must’ve felt her eyes on him though and he tore his own off Harry before glaring at her. Not knowing what else to do, Hannah smiled politely at him which caused his lip to curl in disgust and he went back to his food. Shaken, Hannah looked up as the desserts disappeared and Dumbledore stood again.

“Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. A few of our older students would do well to remember that as well.” Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled as they fell on the two redheaded twins.

Remus had told Hannah all about the forest. He’d gotten misty eyed when he described walking around in it at night and spending time with his friends. Then he’d snapped out of it, suddenly realizing his mistake. He’d told Hannah then that it was forbidden and she should not go there, it was dangerous and he’d been stupid when he spent time there. Hannah had just nodded and promised that she wouldn’t go near it before making a mental note to go see it as soon as possible. 

“I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trails will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.” 

Hannah and Harry snorted before realizing they were the only few that had. They looked at each other and made a puzzled face. Was he serious?

“And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!” Everyone stood and Hannah grinned when she saw Minerva’s forced smile. A long golden ribbon flew out of the tip of Dumbledore’s wand and it flew high above the tables and twisted itself into words.

“Everyone pick their favorite tune. And off we go!” Dumbledore said and he directed the school in song. Hannah chose to sing to the tune of Queen’s Somebody to Love and Harry grinned at her before joining in to her tune, a lot less loud but still singing.

_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bald,_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling,_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains all rot._

Hannah finished with a flourish and noticed that the only two people still singing were the Weasley twins. They stood on their seats, dramatically flailing their arms about and Dumbledore smiled at them until they finished. The hall clapped at them and they each took a bow.

“Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!” Dumbledore said and he spread his arms out as benches scraped against the floor. Percy the prefect was directing traffic, telling the first years to follow him and Hannah got up with Hermione and was making her way towards him when a hand placed itself on her shoulder. Hannah turned to look at Minerva and she smiled at her brightly.

“You lot go on.” Hannah said to Ron, Harry, and Hermione after noticing they stood waiting for her. “I’ll be there in a minute.” They all smiled and said okay before waving awkwardly at Minerva and turning to follow Percy out of the hall. Hannah turned back to Minerva, who was smiling at her.

“I’m happy to see you’ve already made friends.” She said and Hannah smiled warmly at the thought of them being her friends.

“Yeah I suppose so.” Hannah said, still grinning. Everyone had left the hall now, only Minerva and Hannah stood at the Gryffindor table. Minerva straightened and looked around.

“Good. I like to stay here and wait for everyone else to clear out before leaving.” She said as she began to lead Hannah out of the Great Hall and to a large staircase. Hannah nodded, liking the emptiness of the castle and the low buzz of voices that were headed to their separate houses.

“Congratulations on making Gryffindor.” Minerva said with a smile and Hannah remembered that she was now her head of house. She reminded Minerva of this and she laughed before saying she’d have a lot to look out for. Hannah giggled and they lapsed into a comfortable silence as they climbed more stairs, Hannah following Minerva’s lead.

“That was quite a show you gave everyone after your sorting. I’ll have to remember to tell your father about that.” She said and smiled as Hannah groaned.

“I was just happy!” Hannah said and Minerva laughed.

“Completely understandable, my dear. I too show my happiness by standing in front of the entirety of my school and taking a bow.” Hannah giggled at that and Minerva looked over at her, trying not to think about how much the display had reminded her of Sirius. When little Sirius Black had stepped up to the stool and taken his seat, his face broke into concentration and after a few moments, the hat yelled out Gryffindor. The entire Great Hall was silent. A Black in Gryffindor? Minerva had taken pity on the boy and placed a hand on his back, urging him to go find his seat with his new family. He’d smiled weakly at her before snapping his head around to look at the cheering little brown boy that jumped up and down in the crowd of first years, urging the Gryffindor table to do the same. Soon the Gryffindor table was cheering like it would for anyone else and Sirius had smiled widely, his face brightening before taking a small bow and skipping over to a seat. When Hannah had done almost exactly the same thing, Minerva’s heart had gotten stuck in her throat. Over at the staff table, Severus’ heart shriveled up and fell out.

They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and Hannah, no knowing where she was headed, made to go up the next flight of steps. Minerva stuck her arm out and stopped her.

“Right here, dear.” She said, gesturing to the portrait. Hannah was confused. She saw no door or entrance…

“Password?” the Fat Lady asked and Hannah gaped at her. Hogwarts: A History had not specified what the entrances to the different house rooms would be like for ‘privacy reasons.’

“Caput Draconis.” Minerva said to the portrait and she nodded and swung open; revealing a cozy looking common room. Hannah climbed up and looked around, not knowing where to go.

“It’s the hallway to the left there, dear.” Minerva said from outside the room. “All the way up. Door will say first years.” Hannah thanked Minerva and said goodnight to her as the portrait door swung shut. She turned and made the climb up to her new dormitory. Once she got up to the top, she swung open the door labeled ‘first years’ and was greeted with four four-poster beds, two lined up on each wall. Two girls Hannah knew as Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil had already set themselves up on one side of the room, leaving Hannah and Hermione the other side. Hannah looked around for Hermione and did not see her anywhere. She smiled politely at the two girls who introduced themselves to her and informed her that Hermione was in the bathroom.

“We’re allowed to put posters up?” Hannah asked, nodding to the large poster Parvati had tacked up to her side.

“I guess so. I didn’t really ask.” Parvati said with a frown that quickly turned into a snort. “Shit, I hope so.” Hannah and Lavender laughed as Hermione stumbled out of the bathroom, already dressed in pajamas. She neatly deposited her robes in the laundry basket and smiled at them all before walking over to her bed and shutting the curtains, announcing that she was going to bed.

“She’s an odd one, isn’t she?” Lavender said in a whisper and Hannah glared at her, wanting to insult everything she held dear to her heart. Then she remembered that she’d be sharing a dormitory with this girl for the next seven years. She settled on something a bit nicer.

“I like her.” Hannah said simply and she walked over to her trunk, pulling out pajamas and changing out of her school robes. Lavender and Parvati said nothing more about Hermione Granger, the little black haired girl had the aura of someone not to be messed with and if she liked Hermione, so would they. Hannah took off her tie and smiled at it. Red and Gold. She placed it down and once she was dressed in her pajamas, she grabbed her bag of toiletries and walked over to the bathroom, setting them up in her designated mirror. Lavender and Parvati circled in and out of the bathroom for a few minutes, making small talk with Hannah and complimenting her hair when she took it out of its tight braid and it fell in waves down her shoulders. Hannah had not wanted to get rid of it, if she had it her way she would’ve kept it all week as a piece of her father but it had been hurting her head so she couldn’t keep it in any longer. Soon she finished her night time routine and walked over to her bed, opening Ziggy’s cage so if he wanted to leave during the night he could. She sat down on her bed and grabbed some parchment and a quill, planning to write a letter giving Remus a blow by blow account of what her day had been like. She closed her curtains so she could have some privacy and used the small gas lap that had been sitting on her nightstand to see what she was doing. Soon Lavender and Parvati quieted down and Hannah could hear their breaths turn into small snores as they fell asleep. Hannah scribbled some more on her parchment before stopping in the middle of a sentence as she heard a strange noise. Sniffling. Coming from Hermione’s bed. 

Hannah opened her curtain slowly and stepped out of her bed, bare feet padding across the stone floor over to Hermione. Hannah opened the curtains and looked at the sad sight of Hermione curled up into a small ball, crying into her pillow. Hermione turned up to look at her when she noticed that her curtains were open and smiled weakly before sitting up on her bed and pulling her skinny legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, and looking up at Hannah with big brown eyes. Her dark skin caught the moonlight coming from Hannah’s open window and she wiped the tears off her face before speaking in a sad, stuffy voice.

“I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”

“No, no. I was writing a letter to my Dad and heard you crying. What’s wrong? Are you alright?” Hannah said as she sat down on Hermione’s bed, closing the curtains behind her to ensure their privacy.

“Oh, I’m fine.” Hermione said as she studied her blanket, fat tears rolling down her cheeks.

Hannah snorted. “You don’t look fine.” Hermione was silent for a moment and Hannah realized she was probably pushing it. She was about to say something about Hermione not having to talk about it if she didn’t want when she spoke.

“It’s just all so huge, you know? Like one moment I’m with my parents and the next I’m gone, far away from them. It’s just all so…”

“New.” Hannah said for her.

“Yeah.” Hermione said as she wiped her nose of her sleeve and looked up at Hannah, whose bright amber eyes were glowing even in the darkness.

“I miss my Dad too.” Hannah said in a soft voice and Hermione held her arms out to her when she saw large tears begin to roll down Hannah’s cheeks. Hannah leaned into the contact and soon they were laying down on Hermione’s bed, crying softly and holding each other. Once the tears stopped from the both of them, Hannah sat up.

“I should probably get back to my bed.” She said and she made to open the curtains.

“Wait…” Hermione said and she bit her lip when Hannah’s bright eyes turned back to look at her. “Can you sleep with me tonight?” Hermione said and immediately smiled as Hannah answered of course and wiggled into her covers. They wrapped around each other and both girls felt a lot better about missing their parents as they fell asleep.

**

The next morning, Hannah woke before Hermione. Rubbing her eyes, she straightened and detangled herself from her friend to step out of the bed. Hannah looked around the room just in time to see Lavender crawling out of Parvati’s bed. She smiled politely at the girl and noticed that her eyes were rather swollen and puffy as well, like she’d cried herself to sleep. Hannah and Hermione obviously weren’t the only ones that were stressed by this big change. Sleepily, Hannah stumbled over to the bathroom and did her business before stepping into the shower. Even though she’d taken one the morning before, she felt like she should and she let the hot water sting her face for some time, hoping it would make the puffy go away. She stepped out a few minutes later with a towel wrapped around her body and padded out to her trunk where she got a new set of robes and went back to the bathroom with them, using deodorant and lotion before slipping them on and wrapping her hair up in a towel so she didn’t get her blouse wet.

Hannah was just finishing washing her face when Hermione opened the door to the bathroom and walked in.

“Good morning!” she said in a loud chipper voice that made Hannah’s brain spin. Neither Hannah nor Remus were morning people, they spent their mornings in comfortable silence with the occasional comment until the both of them had their coffee and were fully awake. As Lyall was the same, Hannah never had to deal with the monstrosity of a morning person. But Hermione seemed to be very chipper in the mornings and she hummed as she turned on the shower and stepped in. Hannah cringed as she began to sing and she stepped out of the bathroom planning to sit on her bed and finish her letter to Remus while she waited for Hermione to get finish getting ready. Lavender and Parvati stood on their side of the room chatting happily as they dressed in their robes. After a few minutes, they waved goodbye to Hannah and went down to breakfast. Hannah had just finished her signature on her letter when she heard a cry of frustration from the bathroom. Frowning, she stood and walked over to the bathroom, pushing the door open to see Hermione struggling with her bushy hair in the mirror, trying to get it up into a ponytail.

“Do you want me to try?” Hannah asked as she stepped fully into the room, letting the door swing shut behind her.

Hermione sighed. “If you want. It’s bloody useless if you ask me. My mum normally does it.” She said as she pulled a foot stool out from under the sink and sat so Hannah could do her hair.

“I can do it.” Hannah said determinedly even though she’d never so much as ran a comb through her own hair. Her hair was silky and fell in waves that didn’t really need touching. Remus had formed the habit of braiding it or putting it up in pigtails when she was smaller and she let him do it still when he offered simply because she liked the way it looked. Hannah though Hermione’s thick hair was very pretty though and she told Hermione this as she struggled to slick it back. 

“You don’t really need to put it back if you ask me. You could keep it out like it is.”

Hermione frowned as she looked down in her lap. “Yes well, the kids at my muggle school used to complain when I had it out. They’d say they couldn’t see over it.” Hannah paused to look down at her friend. Hermione looked very sad and Hannah’s heart lurched when she thought about what it must be like to wake up in the mornings and have to hide your own hair so you didn’t get made fun of.

“That’s stupid. If anyone does that here I’ll curse them into oblivion.”

Hermione snorted but looked happier at her friend’s protectiveness.

“I’m serious!”

“You don’t even know any spells yet!”

“That’s not important! It’s the power behind them that counts.”

Hermione giggled at that and Hannah wrapped the ponytail holder around all the thick hair that she’d managed to gather on top of her head.

“There.” Hannah said with a smile, taking a step back to admire her handiwork as Hermione stood and looked in the mirror. She grinned.

“Thank you. It looks just like it would if my Mum had done it.” She said and Hannah’s heart swelled with pride.

“Thanks. My Dad normally does my ties so I know how you feel about your Mum not getting to do it for you anymore.” Hermione turned to look at the mess that was Hannah’s tie and snorted.

“Let me fix it.” Hermione said and Hannah stepped forward and allowed Hermione to straighten it into something more presentable. Smiling, they both left the bathroom and Hannah ran over to her bed and sealed her letter to Remus, sending it off with Ziggy before walking out to breakfast, shoulder to shoulder with Hermione. They followed a pair of fourth years to the Great Hall and Hannah grinned and skipped over to the table when she spotted Ron and Harry already sitting, chatting and eating toast.

“Good morning!” Hannah said as she sat herself down opposite them, giving them each a wide grin before pouring herself a cup of coffee. Hermione sat down next to her and greeted each boys politely.

“Good morning.” They chorused back and smiled at each of the girls. Harry’s eyes lingered on Hannah for a moment as he watched her load her plate with eggs and begin to eat. Her black hair fell in waves down her shoulders and he could not help but look at the way it framed her face while she chewed. Noticing Hermione’s eyes on him, Harry looked back to his own food and ate in silence.

“When do we get our schedules?” Hannah asked and both the boys shrugged as, just in time, Percy walked over and handed them each a slip of paper of their classes for the week.

“Looks like we’ve got Transfiguration and Herbology this morning… then History of Magic and Charms after lunch.” Ron read aloud, squinting at the paper. The other three nodded, not knowing anything about the teachers or the subjects yet. Hannah knew that Minerva taught transfiguration and she was excited for that as they finished eating and asked Percy where her classroom was. He explained and Hermione, the only one that had bothered to listen, led the way as Hannah, Ron, and Harry bumped along behind her. Soon Hannah noticed the many stares and points that Harry was getting as they walked and she did not bother to hold back her glares at the people that spoke when she saw Harry’s head bowed. He looked like he was trying to disappear and this made Hannah very mad.

“You’d think they’d have something better to talk about.” She said very loudly as a group of giggling Ravenclaws passed and ‘ouuuu’ at Harry. The girls frowned at her before rolling their eyes and saying nasty things under their breath.

“You don’t have to do that, you know.” Harry said once they were out of earshot.

Hannah rolled her eyes. “Oh please, they’re gaping at you like you’re some sort of zoo animal. It’s weird.”

Harry smiled at her response and did not try to hide the extra spring in his step as Hannah and Ron shot glares and nasty comments at anyone that pointed at Harry. Finally they made it to transfiguration and Hannah and Harry took a desk towards the back of the room, leaving Ron and Hermione to sit at the one in front of them. They thought this was very funny and made their new trademark kissing noises at the pair when they sat down next to each other. Ron and Hermione both told them to shove off and Harry and Hannah lapsed into silent giggles as Minerva walked out to the front of the room and explained herself and the class. When Minerva told them to take out their books, Hannah hesitated. Her copy of A Beginners’ Guide to Transfiguration was covered in scribbles from her father and his friends and considering who she was sitting next to, she didn’t know if she should open it up. Hannah thought better of it and pulled her book out before nudging Harry with her elbow.

“Remember how I told you our parents were friends?” she whispered to him as Minerva explained their lesson.

“Yeah.” He whispered back with a frown on his face, curious to see what she was talking about. Hannah grinned.

“This is my Dad’s book from his first year. Your Dad wrote all over it.” She said with a snigger and opened the book to the first page so he could read his father’s loud handwriting. Harry smiled and Hannah tried not to notice when his eyes watered up as he read the bickering that littered the title page. When he was done, he blinked a few times before turning over to look at her and asking the one question Hannah did not want him to ask.

“Who are the other two-“ he was interrupted by Professor McGonagall, who had been watching the pair for some time now hoping they’d be quiet.

“Mr. Potter and Ms. Lupin.” The two black heads shot up from the book they were looking at to stare at their teacher. She raised an eyebrow at them.

“Quiet down you two.” She said and Hannah did not miss the small twitch at the corners of her mouth. Hannah smiled to herself and paid attention for the rest of the lesson, letting Harry flip through her book to look for more crude drawings and comments. After transfiguration they had herbology, and the air was humid as the four friends walked out towards the greenhouses. Herbology was a lot of fun, Hannah thought as she walked behind Ron and slipped some dirt down his back, causing him to shoot up and begin to throw handfuls of dirt back at her. Professor Sprout was a fair teacher so she only took off a few points as she scolded them and told them to get back to potting their plants. They trooped back up to the castle just in time for lunch and both Harry and Hannah had a nice nap in History of Magic after realizing they would be doing practically nothing.

“I liked that class.” Hannah said with a yawn as she stretched her arms above her head and followed Hermione to charms.

“Same here. I don’t think I’ve ever fallen asleep that fast.” Harry said from next to her. Ron snorted and teased Hannah for snoring, ‘I do not!’ as Hermione scolded them and told them they were going to fail, ‘but you’ll let us use your notes!’ Soon they were in charms with tiny Professor Flitwick and Hannah had the misfortune of being paired with little Seamus Finnigan, who set their desk on fire in a matter of seconds. After dinner, they were all exhausted and the quartet made their way up to Gryffindor tower and said their goodbyes before they separated and went to their dormitories. When Hannah opened the door and stepped in, she noticed that Lavender and Parvati weren’t there. She grinned as she walked over to her trunk and popped out the record player. She knew Hermione wouldn’t mind her music but she wasn’t so sure about the other girls. Hannah opened the side pocket where her father had allowed her to take some records for the year.

“You’ve got muggle music!” Hermione exclaimed from over her shoulder and Hannah looked over at her and smiled.

“Yes, my grandma was a muggle and the music rubbed off on my Dad. It’s what I grew up with.” She said as she scanned the records for music to play while they did the little bit of homework that they’d gotten that day. “Pick one to play, if you like.” She said and she stepped out of the way so Hermione could look at her records. Hermione frowned.

“But you can’t use muggle technology inside Hogwarts. It says so in Hogwarts: A History.” Hannah smiled at her before explaining how her father had bewitched it to work inside the castle. Hermione seemed satisfied with her answer and she looked over at the records and gasped at one.

“Let’s play this!” she said as she grabbed ‘Good Times’ and held it out to Hannah.

“You like Willie Nelson?” Hannah asked as she put the record on and Hermione smiled.

“Yes, my father listens to him a lot.” Hermione said and they shared a smile as a song began to play.

“I can relate to that.” Hannah said with a grin.

_‘Laugh with me, buddy_

_Jest with me, buddy_

_Don't let her get the best of me, buddy_

_Don't ever let me start feeling lonely’_

A voice crooned out of Hannah’s small record player and the two girls danced along to the song as well as they could, as it was not really for dancing. Soon they grew bored and Hermione reminded Hannah of the small stack of homework they planned to complete that night and get it out of the way. Hannah spread it out on her bed and they both jumped up on it and began to write and sing along.

_‘Talk to me, buddy_

_Stay with me, buddy_

_Let's don't let her get away, buddy_

_Don't ever let me start feeling lonely’_

When Lavender and Parvati returned from the common room they smiled at the music and said they were happy someone had music to play so it wasn’t ‘so damn quiet’ and though they didn’t know the song, they said they liked it and hummed along in good moods. Hannah smiled at them both, she was liking them more and more by the minute.

_‘Laugh with me, buddy_

_Jest with me, buddy_

_Let's don't let her get the best of me, buddy_

_Don't ever let me start feeling lonely’_

As the song died out and changed, Hannah looked up and smiled at Hermione, who smiled back just as wide. Maybe Hannah could have a home here at Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Buddy by Willie Nelson.


	6. Daydream - Year One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I quote from the Philosopher's stone again and as much as I would like to be J.K Rowling so I could be less shit, I'm not her. Half of what inspired me to write this fic is her lack of representation and the platform she had and chose to do nothing with except spread hate. So if you're reading this fic and you're trans, bi, gay, pan, anything! Know that I love you and I will show representation for you in this fic. (once all the characters are old enough to start realizing, of course)

_Daddy,_

_This is Ziggy’s first time delivering a letter! I hope it gets to you all right. Sometimes I look at Zig and his eyes seem blank. I don’t know if he’s that smart. ANYWAYS Hogwarts is amazing! It’s so pretty here and you described it perfectly but I still don’t think anything could’ve prepared me for seeing it that first time. I got Gryffindor! Just like you! I was so nervous when I had to walk up the steps to the sorting hat but I held my head up because I didn’t want to look scared. The hat was taking a long time with some of the other people and I was worried it would take forever to sort me but it only took a few seconds before it put me in Gryffindor. I’m just going to tell you now because I know Minerva’s planning to send you a letter describing me as a drama queen (which is not true!) I may have gotten a little excited after being sorted. I’m sorry! It was just all so perfect! Anyways I twirled and bowed and made everyone clap louder for me but it was totally cool people thought it was funny and some of the older kids talk to me like I’m their friend now._

_I haven’t had any lessons yet; I’m writing this at night before I go to bed because honestly I’m not tired in the slightest and you can’t tell me to go to sleep! HA! Also, I think my head might explode if I don’t get these thoughts written out. Daddy, I’m friends with Harry Potter! I wasn’t lying on the train! He really came and sat in my compartment with me and he’s super cool! We sat in the same boat and sat together at the feast too! He got Gryffindor as well! When Minerva walked me back to the common room, she called him my friend! I’m pretty sure he is! Also, I made friends with this boy named Ron Weasley. He’s cool too and I think you know his Dad. You mentioned him one time? Arthur? Arnold? Whatever. But Ron came and sat with me and Harry after the train took off and we get along really well. Hermione and I are still friends too! We’re even sharing a dormitory! I’m quite sure we’re all going to be very close._

_Okay, I’m finishing this letter after going to bed. Hermione was upset about her parents and I missed you so we slept in the same bed last night. She’s even nicer than I thought and I like her a lot. There’s two other girls in our dormitory and they’re okay. One of them has a poster of The Weird Sisters so she’s cool. Speaking of, can you send me my Kiss poster? I want to hang it up and I didn’t know we could otherwise I would’ve brought it with me. Pleaseeeee. Imagine I’m doing puppy eyes and actually pulling them off. Are you imagining it? Cool. Now go upstairs and take it off the wall and fold it CAREFULLY. I know how you man handle things. And then send it over por favor._

_Also, Harry told me on the train while he was quizzing me about his parents (also, HE DIDN’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THEM. I had to tell him and I felt really weird like I shouldn’t do that. Like he knew how they died but he just found out) well he doesn’t have any pictures of them so could you copy some and send them as well. Just of the two of them please. How are you doing though? I imagine the house is pretty quiet without my awesomeness filling it up. Tell Andy I say hi when she comes over. Your time of the month isn’t for a while but you still need to have human contact Daddy! I know she’ll offer her presence and don’t turn her down! I miss you a lot. I wish I could have Hogwarts just with you here too. Like Hogwarts but you sleep a few rooms down and I get to see you every day. Write back asap I want to know how you’re doing._

_I love you,_

_Hannah_

Remus smiled at his daughter’s messy handwriting. He’d taught her how read and write at their small dining room table for several months until she got it. He hadn’t wanted to send her to a muggle school, they were so far out and Hannah always pouted if he mentioned having a day where she wasn’t free to ride Stardust or her old broomstick. So he taught her himself and found that it wasn’t very hard. He was a good teacher. She’d gotten it down in a matter of months and now her writing was very good for a girl her age. Maybe he should talk to her about the excess exclamation points though… but oh well, she was very excited. Remus sat at their dining room table, petting his owl Soren and rereading his daughter’s messy scrawl for a bigger piece of her. He missed her so much already but he was starting to like not being woken up by the sound of shattering glass or a slammed door. In all its years of inhabitance, the cottage had never gotten a lot of quiet. First with Sirius, Remus, and Peter all living together, Peter in what was now Remus’ study and Remus and Sirius in Remus’ room, then after Peter moved out Sirius was as much noise as any person could possibly withstand, then they had a small newborn that turned into a toddler who jumped on people who weren’t looking and screamed at the top of her lungs when she didn’t have what she wanted.

Hannah had not been an easy baby. Sirius was always surprisingly patient with her, getting her whatever she needed and enduring her screams when what she needed was a small knife Remus had been holding or a container of hot sauce. Remus was good with her too and he never cracked when he had to get up at three a.m. to move her small body in between his and Sirius’. At night she had a sort of gravitational pull towards Remus, she’d cling to his shirt when she was tired and curl up next to his skinny body. She refused to fall asleep if he wasn’t there which made his full moon nights very hard for Lily, who always volunteered to watch even though she knew exactly what she was getting into. During the day however, Hannah and Sirius were best friends. She’d ride on his shoulders and stick to his legs when he walked like she was glued to him. He never got tired of her following him around like a little puppy, hence the nickname that still stuck after all these years. The first few times Remus called her by that he did not notice, he’d just been calling her what he always called her. When it dawned on him he’d cried hard and Hannah had waddled over to him with wide amber eyes full of concern. 

“Mmm… cheese.” She said and Remus had looked up in surprise. It was her first word besides ‘Daddy’.

“Uh okay. Stay here, daddy will get you cheese.” He’d said and when he made to get up Hannah yelled.

“NO! CHEESE!” She yelled and it took forever for Remus to figure out that Hannah was not asking for cheese from the fridge, she was asking him to smile. Lily Potter had turned corners in her house with a large camera many times, pointing it at a member of her family (but mostly Harry and Hannah) and saying ‘cheese!’. When Remus deciphered this from his daughter’s screaming of cheese, he’d only wanted to cry more. But he smiled at her and she quieted down and given him a gummy smile back. Remus had held his tears until Hannah went down for a nap and then he let himself sob onto their small couch, feeling pathetic but missing everyone so much it physically hurt him. 

Now Remus was better about the tears. He only let them fall around the full moon or when something big happened, like Hannah leaving for Hogwarts. Remus looked over his daughter’s writing again. _‘I was worried it would take forever to sort me but it only took a few seconds before it put me in Gryffindor.’_ Remus smiled. No surprises there. For a while he thought maybe she’d go to Hufflepuff, she really was a very caring person and had been very accepting about everything with Remus’ condition, never complaining once. But deep down Remus had known she’d go to Gryffindor. There was no other house for a person that started to ride a motorbike at 9 or tried the same quidditch move that had broken her arm as soon as she was allowed on a broom again. Remus grinned and looked back down at the letter. _‘I twirled and bowed and made everyone clap louder for me’_ That… that was exactly what Sirius had done. Remus remembered it very well, he had not understood why no one was clapping for his new friend until he had James explain it for him later. But after James had riled the Gryffindor table into applause, Remus had smiled and clapped as well. He remembered Sirius’ silver eyes finding him in the crowd of first years and he’d told himself he was imagining it but his clapping seemed to fuel Sirius’ already inflated ego, and he’d taken a bow before sitting down. Remus had laughed quietly until it was his turn to be sorted. He should’ve known Hannah would have the same kind of reaction to getting Gryffindor. Surprisingly to Remus, this did not send him spiraling into another depressive episode. He smiled at the letter before setting it down and walking up to Hannah’s room to get the required poster.

Remus tried to figure out why this wasn’t bothering him like it should’ve as he removed the sticking spell Hannah had asked him to use on her poster and carefully rolled it up. For the most part, Hannah was her own person. She had her own habits and her own ticks and Remus loved them all equally. But she really could be like Sirius sometimes. It was a good thing. She seemed to have the aspects of his personality that Remus had admired most. Besides the inherited temper, Hannah had none of Sirius’ impulsiveness or habit of saying exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time. Before, Remus had loved these things about Sirius along with his good traits but now he cursed himself and thought he should’ve seen them as the first few red flags. Remus walked down the stairs with the rolled up poster and set it down on the couch before heading towards James’ old scrapbooks and picking out a few of just James and Lily. He duplicated them with a simple spell and set them in a pile on the floor while he looked through the books. It should’ve been more painful, but Remus felt numb as he flipped through their old photos. He looked behind him at the mess of old photographs he’d thrown the day before and sighed before getting up and repairing them. He’d been stupid, he thought as he fixed the glass frames and stacked them back on their individual places on the shelves. He kept letting Sirius affect him and he hated it. Before he met him his only problem had been the lycanthropy and now his brain seemed to echo Sirius name after any small thing went wrong. He did not regret Sirius, that would mean regretting Hannah and Remus would never dream of a world without Hannah in it. If his daughter had inherited a few of Sirius’ traits that was nothing to be upset about. Remus finished duplicating pictures for Harry and his mind wondered to the other thing that had been bothering him.

 _‘HE DIDN’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THEM… Like he knew how they died but he just found out’_ So his Aunt and Uncle had not told him anything? This was strange to Remus; he could not imagine holding back such monumental questions from Hannah and the fact that Harry Potter had grown up without knowing who he was did not sit right with him. He’d asked many times if he could take him from his Aunt and Uncle’s but Dumbledore always said no, saying that legally Sirius was his godfather and since that meant Remus would have to adopt Harry, he’d have to be investigated and there was no way around them finding out about his lycanthropy. He’d have to be a registered werewolf. And that just wasn’t an option. They’d have nothing. Hannah would be taken away, the money from Sirius’ vault would be gone, Remus would be more alone than ever. Still, the Dursley’s taking care of Harry always rubbed Remus the wrong way. Throughout their friendship, Remus had endured many rants from Lily about her sister and he’d heard far too much about how she’d treated Lily to trust her with Lily’s son. So he hadn’t stopped asking. Asking if Dumbledore could look for some loophole, saying Minerva could register as his legal guardian and Harry could just go back and forth, giving any possible option a try. Dumbledore always said no. It had crossed his mind that it might be the lycanthropy holding Dumbledore back but he always shoved that thought away, saying Dumbledore had done far too much for him to discriminate now.

Remus wrote Hannah a reply and sealed it with the large stack of photos for Harry. He tied the letter and the poster together and stuck it to Ziggy’s leg, who had waited patiently for him to finish a reply. Remus watched as Ziggy soared out of the open window and flew off to Hogwarts. He suddenly realized he’d been rolling back and forth on the balls of his feet and he stopped himself and sighed. Remus needed to get out.

**

Hannah woke up the next morning to find that Hermione had woken up before her; Hannah lay alone in her friend’s bed. Groaning, she stretched and got up, taking a quick shower for her body and leaving her hair dry. She got dressed in the mirror and washed her face as Hermione came in from the dormitory fully dressed and far too chipper for someone who had just woken up less than thirty minutes ago. She could get used to this, Hannah thought as she fixed Hermione’s hair up in a high bun and Hermione turned to fix Hannah’s sad attempt at a tie. The pair walked down the stairs and met Ron and Harry in the common room; they’d thought to wait for the girls this time after Hannah had bullied them relentlessly for not waiting the day before. Together they walked to breakfast and had far more to eat than any 11 and 12 year-olds should.

“Ugh… swear I’m gonna gain 10 pounds before the week is over.” Hannah said, pushing her plate away from her and patting her protruding stomach.

“You don’t have to eat it, you know.” Ron said with a mouth full of sausage and Hannah looked at him in disgust for a few seconds before replying.

“Can you hear yourself? You sound like you have twenty pounds of sausage in your throat right now.”

Harry snorted into his coffee and Hermione was overcome with a fit of giggles.

Ron swallowed before answering. “I do not! I sound normal!”

“Yeah, cause you just swallowed the 15 sausage links you had in your mouth.”

“I did not have that many, Lupin. I had like three.”

“No seriously, you’re like a boa constrictor unhinging your jaw like that to fit them all in.”

Ron laughed and then opened his mouth all the way and stuffed as many sausage links as he could fit inside, earning him a round of ‘ewwwww’s from Lavender and Parvati, who were sitting nearby. Ron choked when he saw them looking and Harry had to thump him on the back several times before he could breathe again and he chewed his sausage with a bright red face as his friends laughed at his reaction to the girl’s seeing him so undignified.

“Okay, okay.” Harry said, always the peacemaker, as Hermione and Hannah carried on laughing a little too long and he could see Ron start to get irritated. “What do we have today?” he asked to change the subject.

“Double potions.” Hermione answered immediately without looking at the schedule. “With the Slytherins, I think.”

Ron grunted and swallowed the rest of his food. “Snape’s head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them; we’ll be able to see if it’s true.” 

“That means we’ve got class with that git.” Hannah said as she pointed over to the Slytherin table, where Draco was unwrapping a basket of sweets from his parents with far too much flare.

Harry snorted. “Should be fun.” At that moment, the mail arrived. Hannah scanned the many owl’s for Ziggy and spotted him coming in last, carrying a long parcel and headed right towards her. She cleared him a place and he landed down in front of her, shortly followed by Hedwig. Hannah unwrapped the package from Ziggy’s leg and sent him on his way before raising an eyebrow at Harry.

“What’d you get?” She asked as he looked up from the small letter he held in his hands.

“Letter from Hagrid… he invited me to tea at 3 this afternoon once classes are done. You lot want to come?” he asked and Hermione immediately lit up at the invitation, chatting happily about how nice it would be to be on good terms with the gamekeeper. Hannah and Ron both agreed too though a little apprehensively. He was just so damn big and it freaked the both of them out. Maybe meeting him would change that, Hannah thought as she stuffed the unopened letter from Remus in her bag. She fit the poster in its side pocket, hoping it wouldn’t get too much attention as she did not have time to run it up to the dormitory. They walked down to the dungeons together, shivering at the temperature and the entire atmosphere of the place. It was like something out of a horror movie, Hannah thought as she took a seat at the small table for four that her friends had filed into, setting her bag down under the table so this new professor wouldn’t see her poster. Who could possibly teach in these conditions? As soon as she thought it, looking around with a disgusted face, Professor Snape appeared out of his office. Oh, Hannah thought. That’s who.

Snape had shoulder length greasy black hair that fell in curtains around his face. He had a large hooked nose and he looked down at all the children like they were each a personal burden to him. He started off the class by taking roll call and his beady black eyes paused on the name after Neville’s.

“Hannah… Lupin?” he said, his top lip curling as he read her last name.

“Here, sir.” Hannah said with a raised hand. Snape looked at her for a moment before giving a small grunt and moving on down the list. Hannah looked over at Harry and they shared a glance. What was his problem? Snape paused when he reached Harry’s name and Hannah stiffened in her seat, unsure at how this teacher would act towards her friend.

“Ah, yes. Harry Potter. Our new… _celebrity_.” He said the last word like it was a curse and underneath the table Hannah’s fists tightened. Harry wasn’t a celebrity. He was a victim. He was famous for the worst possible thing you could be famous for. Hannah frowned at Snape as he read off the rest of the roll call, noticing he did indeed let Draco and his friends talk quietly while when Dean Thomas leaned over to speak to Seamus, he took five points off Gryffindor. Hannah decided right then and there that she did not like him.

“You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making…” he began and Hannah zoned out, picking at her nails underneath the table and leaning over to Hermione to whisper about Draco’s choice of shoes that day. Hermione shushed her so she leaned over to Harry and repeated herself, grinning when he snickered.

“Potter!” Snape said suddenly and Hannah cursed herself for making him laugh and drawing Snape’s attention. “What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?”

Harry glanced over and his friends. Hannah and Ron both looked lost while Hermione was looking directly at Snape with her hand in the air. Hannah wished that she knew what he was talking about so she could help Harry, but she’d found the mixtures part of her potions book excruciatingly boring and had put it away and taken out her charms book instead.

“I don’t know, sir.” Harry said and Hannah glared at Snape as his lips twisted into a sneer.

“Tut, tut… fame clearly isn’t everything.” Hannah could not hold back the angry snort that came from her then as she glared at Snape with large amber eyes. Snape turned to look at her and bit back his surprise at the familiarity of the color. He also had to stop himself from backing up towards his desk at the familiarity of the glare.

“Lupin…” Snape said with a sneer and Hannah kept her death stare on him. “Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?” he said and Hannah’s lips twisted into a smile before answering.

“My first place? Probably the supplies cupboard, sir.” She said with a smile as the small group of Gryffindors snickered. Snape was opening his mouth to respond when Hannah cut him off. “But if not there… the stomach of a goat. Isn’t it?” Hannah finished with a smile, knowing she had the right answer, and Snape’s face contorted with rage. This would not happen again… he would not allow it…

“Ten points off Gryffindor for your cheek, Lupin.”

“Ten!?”

“Fifteen now. Be quiet in my class from now on.” He said with a sneer and Hannah glared at him, along with Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Snape bullied Harry and Hannah relentlessly for the rest of the class. They lost points for small things like accidently dropping a piece of paper and not telling Neville to add an essential ingredient to his potion when it went wrong. The group left potions two hours later seething with anger, though none quite as angry as Hannah, who had to fold her poster in half inside her bag ‘crinkling it!’ so Snape wouldn’t have seen it and taken it.

“He is just one giant unwashed arsehole of a person!” Hannah exclaimed as they walked out to Hagrid’s hut around three. Harry and Ron roared with laughter at her term and Hermione smiled before reprimanding her for talking about a teacher like that.

“Once he acts like a teacher, I’ll treat him like one, Hermione. But he’s a fucking bully that’s what he is. Did you HEAR what he said to Neville after he…” Hannah ranted about Snape all the way to Hagrid’s hut where she quieted down once Harry reached his door and knocked. Immediately they heard frantic scratching from inside and loud booming barks.

“Back, Fang, back.” Hagrid said and his face appeared around the door before he stepped aside and opened it all the way, revealing a large black boarhound that he was holding by the collar. Hannah gave a shriek of delight before sitting down on her knees and rubbing the dog, much to it’s delight. Hannah loved dogs. Remus never got one because he didn’t know how it would act around his full moons but her Aunt and Uncle had a small terrier named Helga and Hannah loved to play with her every time they stopped by their house. Hermione, Harry, and Ron filed in behind Hannah and Hagrid shut the door behind them as they went to sit on his large couch and Hannah stayed on the floor with Fang, scratching behind his ears and rubbing his belly when he flopped down on the floor next to her.

“Yeh’ll spoil him rotten!” Hagrid said with a laugh and when Hannah looked up at him she was no longer afraid. Anyone with a dog as cute as this definitely had her respect. Hannah laughed as Fang ran a giant pink tongue across her face.

“What kind of dog is he?” She asked while scratching his ears.

“Ah, boarhound. Got him when he was a lil’ baby. No bigger than this.” Hagrid said as he held his huge hands a few inches apart. Hannah laughed at the thought of this giant dog so small and went back to wrestling on the floor with him as her friends and Hagrid talked. Hannah laughed from the floor when she heard Hagrid call Filch ‘that old git’.

“Isn’t he?” Hannah said, propping her torso up to lean on the couch in between Harry’s knees. “He yelled at me for fifteen minutes straight today just because I tried to see if the Fat Friar could give me a piggy back ride. I didn’t even hurt anyone! He's dead!” Hagrid roared with laughter at this before asking Hannah for her name. She told him and he grunted, eyes resting curiously on her face for a few seconds before speaking.

“Yeah, I know yer Dad. Good man, Lupin. Always real polite.”

Hannah felt the unspoken in his words even if her friends did not. If he knew her Dad and she’d never met him, that probably meant he knew her Dad when Sirius was still free. Hannah noticed Hagrid’s eyes on her throughout their stay and she made a point to smile at him every time she caught him looking. In the end he treated her just like he did the rest of her friends and Hannah was thankful for that. While Ron and Hannah took turns complaining about Snape’s lesson, Harry looked down at Hannah’s dark head between his legs. It was not like he didn’t want her there; he was thrilled that she felt comfortable enough to sit this close to him. But her being so close seemed to put the rest of his body in hypersensitive mode. He was aware of every twitch his leg gave and every breath he took he wondered if she could feel it even though they weren’t really touching except Hannah’s elbow to his shin occasionally. It was very annoying and Harry shook himself and focused on the Snape abuse instead.

“But he seemed to really hate us.” Harry complained when Hagrid brushed away one of Hannah’s comments about Snape being ‘out to get them’.

“Nonsense! Why should he?” Hagrid responded but Harry noticed that he did not meet either of their eyes while he spoke. Hagrid changed the subject to Ron’s brother, Charlie ‘always liked him… great with animals!’, and they chatted happily about his work with dragons while Hannah petted Fang, Harry tried to not over analyze every time he moved, and Hermione picked up a small newspaper clipping that was lying on the table under the tea cozy.

“Gringotts was broken into!” Hermione exclaimed and Hannah reached up and grabbed the paper from her friend to read it for herself. Over her head, Harry leaned forward to read as well and Ron and Hermione ignored Hagrid’s mumbling as they leaned over each other to get a closer look at the snippet.

**GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST**

Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day. “But we’re not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what’s good for you.” Said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.

“Yeah, a while back.” Ron said with a frown. “Can’t believe they’re still talking about it, honestly.”

“How do you know?” Hermione asked, like it was weird for Ron to know things. Ron did not miss her tone and his response was a bit too icy for the light conversation they’d had so far.

“My Mum gets the prophet, obviously. This happened before school started.” He said and Hannah smiled when she noticed that either Hermione did not care about Ron’s rudeness or she had not noticed as she nodded her head in thought.

“How do I get the prophet?” she asked Hagrid and he started to explain before Harry interrupted him.

“Hagrid!” Harry said suddenly and Hagrid looked up from his explanation to Hermione with a blank expression. “that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might’ve been happening while we were there!”

“Er… yeah. Maybe.” Hagrid said shortly before turning back to Hermione and giving her the address to write for a subscription. Hannah looked up at Harry and Ron and frowned. Was it just her or was Hagrid acting strange about this Gringotts break-in? Like he didn’t want them to look into it. Harry and Ron frowned back and she turned back to Hagrid, figuring they’d look into it once he was out of earshot. Surely enough, they were discussing it on their way back to the castle a few minutes later.

“I’m telling you guys…” Harry spoke with his hands out like he was piecing together a puzzle and Hannah was reminded strongly of Sherlock Holmes in the old black and white colored movie that her father had exclaimed with excitement before making her watch, saying it used to be his mother’s favorite. Hannah smiled at him as she listened. “Hagrid had to empty this other vault before we went to mine. It was just a little grubby package inside and he took it and put it in his coat pocket, saying it was ‘Hogwarts business’. What if that’s what the thieves were looking for?”

“Could be.” Hermione said excitedly, looking like she enjoyed the questioning very much. “Especially if it was important enough to be Hogwarts business.”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Harry said as he pointed a finger at Hermione who beamed at him. “What if Hagrid got it just in time?”

“I wonder what it is.” Ron said thoughtfully. “That would be so important for them to break into Gringotts to steal it.”

“Probably a weapon.” Hannah said and Harry shook his head before speaking.

“No, no it was too small to be a weapon.” He said and Hannah grinned at him.

“Hey mate, being small has no correlation with being powerful. Look at me!” she said as she stuck her arms out and flexed. The other three laughed and they walked into the Great Hall, carrying on their conversation and widely speculating about the contents of the vault. They all ate far too much to be plausible and waddled up to their common room before saying goodnight and heading up to their separate dormitories. Hannah changed into pajamas before hanging up her Kiss poster on her side of the wall and opening her letter from Remus. Immediately she saw the pictures of James and Lily that he’d attached for Harry and smiled at them before setting them on her bedside table and beginning to read.

_Puppy,_

_Congratulations on making Gryffindor, love! I’m so proud of you. I’ll admit your Uncle and cousin were routing for Hufflepuff but I knew you’d be in Gryffindor. Sorry, but there’s just no other house for people that learn to ride giant motorcycles built for full grown men at the age of nine. I hope you’re enjoying Hogwarts as much as you say you are. I remember my first few days were quite rough without my parents though I’d never admit it to them. I’m glad you have a friend to help you with the homesick. Hermione seems like a very sweet girl; you can have her over for a few days during the summer if you like. Friends are very important. I’m also happy to hear you’ve made friends with Harry. He seemed very nice on the platform and I’m not sure if it’ll be allowed but he’s invited to the cottage over the summer too if he can. Arthur Weasley is the man I told you about. You got it right the first time. We met when I worked at that muggle library and we had a problem with kids bewitching the books to bite fingers off. He’s a very nice man, extend my invitation to Ron as well._

_I’ve attached the poster you (rudely) asked for. You’re allowed to put posters up at Hogwarts I think. Honestly, I never asked either but I had a Beatles poster by my bed and I remember James had this huge poster of Elton that was almost blinding with the amount of color it had. I’ve also attached some photos of just James and Lily. I have some photos from their wedding I can send along next time if you’d like. I can’t believe he didn’t know anything about them. Do his Aunt and Uncle treat him okay? I used to hear unpleasant things about Petunia._

_I’m doing okay, puppy. Reading a lot and I have a job interview in the city a few days from now. So that should be something to do for a while. I miss you too. I hope your lessons go well. Write back when you’ve finished all your homework._

_I love you,_

_Dad_

Hannah smiled at her father’s neat handwriting and looked over at Hermione, who had been examining her poster. Hermione looked down at Hannah’s bedside table and saw the smiling pictures of Lily and James Potter.

“These are Harry’s parents aren’t they?” she asked as she held up the picture of Lily showing off her ring to the camera as James cried in the background.

“Yeah. Uncanny isn’t it?” Hannah said as she sat up from the bed and reached over to look at the many pictures herself. She remembered all of them as she’d seen them a thousand times before. It was unfair that she knew more about Harry’s parents than he did and she planned to write back asking for those wedding pictures, even if they would have Sirius in them. Hannah knew eventually she would have to explain about Sirius to her friends. But she wasn’t sure she wanted to yet. What if Harry learned and he didn’t want to be her friend anymore? Not a lot of people knew that Hannah was a Black. Remus had her take his last name and Sirius had agreed, saying it was best if they let the Black name die out. But around the time Hannah had been born, not a lot of people were accepting of Sirius and Remus’ relationship. Everyone had just supposed that Remus and Marlene had Hannah together and though she’d heard this made both Remus and Sirius very mad, they’d let people think it for Hannah’s own safety. The few people that knew had been members of the order. They’d been informed so they could keep an eye out and make sure Hannah did not become a target, as Remus and Sirius were both essential to the order at that time. Hannah went to bed that night wrapped around Hermione, spitting her hair out of her mouth every time she moved. She would ask her Dad for all the pictures and would explain, she decided as she lay there with her eyes open, listening to the steady rhythm of Hermione’s snoring. Even if Harry decided not to be her friend he still deserved to know everything about his parents and what had happened to them. Hannah wouldn’t be the one to leave him in the dark.

**

The next morning they had flying lessons with Madame Hooch. Hannah and Ron were buzzing with excitement as they ate their breakfast and headed down to the quidditch pitch while Harry and Hermione followed looking and feeling nervous. They had flying lessons with the Slytherins which thrilled Hannah and worried Harry.

“I’m gonna knock Malfoy on his bony ass like that.” Hannah said as she snapped her fingers. Ron giggled and Hermione rolled her eyes while Harry continued to worry.

“Typical. Just what I always wanted.” Harry mumbled darkly as he walked, making Hannah roll her eyes. “To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy.”

“My god Harry, stop being such a downer.” Hannah said as she bounced on the balls of her feet to the pitch and swung an arm around Ron’s shoulder, which was saying something as he was a good two heads taller.

“You don’t know that you’ll make a fool of yourself.” Ron turned and said reasonably to Harry who smiled weakly back.

“Actually, you do know that you’ll totally kick ass at it. Quidditch is in your blood.” Hannah said with a grin. Harry tore his eyes away from the way the sunlight hit the black waves on Hannah’s head to walk up faster so they were shoulder to shoulder.

“What do you mean it’s in my blood?” he asked and Hannah turned to look at him and smiled.

“Your Dad made the quidditch team his second year.” She said with a wicked grin as they made it to the pitch and stepped up to their individual broomsticks. “And your mum played alternate for a while during her fourth and fifth year. You’ve got quidditch coursing through your veins my friend!” she practically yelled as she thumped him on the back. Harry felt significantly better as he was ordered to stick his hand out at his broomstick and shout ‘up’. His shot up into his hand immediately and so did Hannah’s. They were the few that managed it though and it took Ron two more ‘up! You stupid fucking broom’ before it jumped up into his hand. Hermione and Neville were the last ones to manage to get their brooms up and Madame Hooch looked around at all of them and nodded before showing them how to mount their brooms properly. Harry, Hannah, and Ron were delighted when she told Draco that he’d been doing it wrong for years. Hannah smiled cheekily at him when Madame Hooch complimented her form and he scowled at her.

“Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle… three… two…”

Hannah looked over to her left where Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, had pushed off hard before the whistle had even touched Madame Hooch’s lips.

“Come back, boy!” She shouted as Neville shot up at least twenty feet into the sky. Hannah groaned as she saw his pale face look down off the broom and grabbed Harry’s arm in fear as she watched Neville slip and fall, landing with a sickening crunch on the soft green grass. Hermione was there first, reaching out to Neville and asking if he was okay but she quickly backed off when Madame Hooch swooped over and told them to give him some space. Hannah realized she was still holding Harry’s arm and she let go awkwardly and stood with her hands to her side, standing up on her tippy toes to try and see Neville over the small crowd of Gryffindors and Slytherins. Hermione walked back over to their group and mumbled something about a broken wrist. Ron flinched for Neville and Harry unnecessarily said ‘ouch’.

“None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you’ll be out of Hogwarts before you can say ‘quidditch’. Come on dear.” Madame Hooch said as she lead a whimpering Neville off to the hospital wing. As soon as they were out of earshot, Draco burst into laughter. Blood rushed in Hannah’s ears as she turned to look at him.

“Did you see his face, the great lump?” he said and the a few of other Slytherins laughed with him.

“Shut up, Malfoy.” Parvati snapped and Hannah felt her respect for the girl rise significantly.

“Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?” a short Slytherin Hispanic girl Hannah remembered was called Pansy Parkinson said. “Never thought you’d like fat little cry-babies, Parvati.”

“And why’s that, Parkinson?” Hannah spoke up as she stepped over to the crowd of Slytherins. “Thinking she’d go for you instead?” Hannah crooned and the Gryffindors laughed as Pansy’s face blushed red. Draco changed the subject by darting forward and picking something up off the grass.

“Look! It’s that stupid think Longbottom’s gran sent him.” Draco said with glee and Hannah looked at the Remembrall Neville had indeed gotten from his grandmother that morning. Hannah rolled her eyes at how closely Draco was paying attention to the Gryffindors.

“You really are pathetic, you know that Malfoy?” Hannah said as she stepped up to where he stood. Draco’s lip curled in disgust when he looked up and saw who was speaking. “Swear it’s like you sit under the Gryffindor table and take fucking notes on what to tease us about.” she said with a roll of her eyes and a smile when the Gryffindors behind her laughed.

“You’ll want to be more careful when you speak to me, Lupin.” Draco said with a sneer as he tossed Neville’s Remembrall up in the air and caught it perfectly in one hand. “Remember I’ve got your chubby boyfriend’s most prized possession right here.” He said and smiled when his Slytherins laughed.

“Give that here, Malfoy.” Harry said quietly as he stepped up to Draco. Hannah noticed then that they were exactly the same height. Draco’s eyes flashed with what looked like hunger and a nasty smile played on his lips.

“I think I’ll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find… how about… up a tree?” Draco said as he stepped up to his broom and mounted it, kicking off the ground and soaring above their heads.

“Give it here!” Harry yelled.

“Come and get it, Potter!” Draco yelled and Hannah looked around and gasped when she saw Harry grab his broom and begin to mount it. Hermione beat her to it.

“No! Madame Hooch told us not to move. You’ll get us all into trouble!” she shouted and Harry ignored her as he mounted his broom.

“Harry, seriously mate, it’s what he wants.” Hannah said and at her side Ron nodded in agreement. Harry ignored all his friends and shot up into the air. Hannah could not help it when her mouth fell open. He was a natural, the broom seemed to go wherever he wanted with just a thought and he looked very relaxed and at ease as he flew up to where Draco was. Harry grinned when he heard screams and gasps below him and admiring whoops from Ron and Hannah. He turned to look at Draco, who was wearing a blank expression Harry couldn’t read.

“Give it here or I’ll knock you off that broom!” Harry yelled.

“Oh yeah?” Draco said once he regained his composure. He tried not to look worried but… hadn’t Harry been raised by muggles? How was he so good? Draco was broken out of his thoughts as Harry lunged at him, he pulled out of the way just in time.

“No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy.” Harry sneered and Draco silently cursed himself as he’d been thinking the exact same thing.

“Catch it if you can, then!” Draco called and he threw the glass ball high up in the air and zoomed back down to the ground, as he’d seen McGonagall on her way up a hill just a few moments away. Draco turned in time to see Hermione scream as Harry took a nose dive to catch the Remembrall. Draco bit back a scream as well. The dumbass would break his neck… But Harry pulled out of the dive just in time to land softly on the ground with the small glass ball clutched tightly in his fist. Draco and the rest of the Slytherins tried to ignore the whoops and celebratory noises coming from their Gryffindor classmates, especially from Hannah and Ron. They ran up to Harry and Hannah made it first, smiling and shaking her head in awe at her friend.

“Harry that was bloody-“

“HARRY POTTER!”

Hannah jumped at the sound of Minerva’s voice. Ron had his eyes closed and was muttering curses under his breath while Hermione looked torn between ‘I told you so’ and ‘oh shit’. Hannah looked up at Harry to see all the color had drained out of his face. Minerva ran over to their group, her face paler than Harry’s, and Hannah could not tell if she was angry or impressed.

“Never… in all my time at Hogwarts…” she mumbled under her breath and looked at Harry with a furious expression. Hannah did not blame him for taking several steps back. “How _dare_ you… might’ve broken your neck…”

“It wasn’t his fault, Professor.” Parvati spoke up again.

“Be quiet, Ms. Patil.”

“He was only trying to…”

“I don’t want to hear it, Ms. Lupin.”

“But Malfoy…”

“That’s _enough_ , Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now.” Minerva said as she walked back towards the castle. Hannah, Ron, and Hermione watched Harry stumble along behind her, his head hung. He wouldn’t be expelled, Hannah thought to herself. Surely not for something that small. Probably just detention. Hannah’s train of thought was broken as Madame Hooch appeared over the hill, just in time to hear Draco hope aloud that Harry would be on the train home before dinner. She took five points from Slytherin which cheered Hannah up considerably. Madame Hooch walked them all back up to the castle after ending the lesson early. Hannah, Ron, and Hermione decided to go sit on the bench right outside Minerva’s office as lunch was not for another thirty minutes. They sat for a while, ignoring the glances and points from other students.

“He won’t be expelled, you know.” Hermione broke the silence matter-of-factually.

“Yeah.” Hannah and Ron said in unison before all three of them went back to worrying if he’d be expelled or not. A few moments later Minerva turned the corner of her hall and sighed when she saw the trio sitting quietly on the bench and staring at her door. If she had a galleon for every time she’d seen Remus, Peter, and Sirius lined up just like that… Minerva resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she stepped up to the children and raised an eyebrow when they all jumped and then stood nervously, wringing their hands and looking up at her expectantly.

Minerva sighed before speaking. “I sent him to the Great Hall for lunch. You should head there; he’ll probably be looking for you.” She smiled as the trio chorused a ‘thanks professor!’ and ran off to the Great Hall, slowing considerably when she yelled and reminded them of the no-running-in-the-corridors rule. Sure enough, when the three made it to the Great Hall the immediately spotted Harry sitting alone at the Gryffindor table, craning his neck to look for his friends. He grinned when he spotted them and they grinned back before running over and taking their usual seats; Ron next to Harry across from Hermione, and Hannah next to Hermione across from Harry.

“SO!” Hannah said excitedly like Harry had some huge news to give them, which of course, he did. “Are you expelled?” she asked and Ron and Hermione looked at Harry expectantly. They were all relived when Harry laughed.

“Nope. I really thought I might be for a while there but no I got something else instead.” He said this all very fast and excitedly and Hannah and Hermione both raised an eyebrow at him.

“Mm, detention?” Ron said sympathetically, as he’d started stuffing his face with turkey sandwiches after Harry said ‘nope’ and had not noticed his friend’s tone.

“Nope.” Harry was grinning wickedly now and it was starting to annoy Hannah and Hermione quite a lot.

“Well, what then?” Hermione practically shrieked and Harry looked around at his friends to make sure they were all looking at him before leaning in and speaking.

“She made me seeker on the quidditch team.” He said with a grin.

“SHE MADE YOU WHAT!?” Hannah yelled and shot up out of her seat, only to immediately sit back down when Professor Sprout passed and told her to quiet down. “She made you what?” Hannah asked again, still loud but significantly quieter than before. Ron was choking on his food for the second time that day and Harry had to thump him on the back again before answering.

“Seeker. And she said she’s gonna get me my own broom too.” Harry said and grinned as Hannah bounced up and down in her seat, repeating to words ‘seeker’ ‘first year!’ and ‘new broomstick’.

“You’re joking.” Ron said, shaking his freckled face in disbelief. Harry just grinned at him.

“Seeker? But first years never… you must be the youngest house player in about-“

“A century. Wood told me” Harry said as he shoveled steak and kidney pie into his mouth and grinned around at his friends. Hermione was staring at him with her mouth open, torn between talking about how he shouldn’t be rewarded for bad behavior and congratulating him, Hannah was still mumbling incoherently and looking like Christmas had come early, and Ron was staring at him in awe like he was seeing him again for the first time.

“I start training next week. Only don’t tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret.” Harry said and his three friends nodded very fast. Finally Hannah regained her composure and looked up at him.

“What kind of broom? And this means we’ll have a reason to go watch all the quidditch practices! I’m so jealous right now, like fuck, I don’t know whether to kiss you or rip your head off!” Hannah said with a wicked grin and Harry was saved from responding as Fred and George Weasley walked up to the quartet and grinned at Harry.

“Well done.” George said in a low voice and all four first years leaned in to hear him better. George responded by grabbing Ron and Hannah’s faces and pushing them back, ignoring their muffled grunts as they struggled to get his large hand off their heads. Fred just looked at Hermione and winked, making her sit back as blood rushed to her face. “Wood told us. We’re on the team too. Beaters.”

“I tell you, we’re going to win that Quidditch Cup for sure this year.” Fred said as he leaned forward towards Harry. “We haven’t won since Charlie left, but this year’s team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry. Wood was almost skipping when he told us.”

“Anyways, we’ve got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he’s found a new secret passageway out of the school.”

“Bet it’s that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you.” Fred said and the twins walked out of the Great Hall, leaving Hannah to process their words. Secret passageway? That sounded cool. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind when Draco and his body guards showed up; all wearing an ugly sneer.

“Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?” Draco said in his drawling voice. Hannah was about to tell them to bugger off when Harry beat her to it.

“You’re a lot braver now that you’re back on the ground and you’ve got your little friends with you.” He said coolly. Hannah snorted at the use of the word ‘little’ for Crabbe and Goyle.

“I’d take you on anytime on my own.” Draco said with a sneer and Harry was happy to see that his pride had been wounded. “Tomorrow night if you want. Wizard’s duel. Wands only. No contact. What’s the matter? Never heard of a wizard’s duel before, I suppose?”

“Of course he has.” Ron saved Harry from answering with a smirk, turning away from his food to look at Draco. “I’m his second, who’s yours?” Draco turned and looked at his two friends, sizing them up.

“Crabbe.” He said and he turned back to stare at Harry. Hannah noticed a flicker of sadness cross Goyle’s face and she almost felt bad for him until she reminded herself that she must’ve imagined it. Goyle had no brain; he couldn’t feel sadness. “Midnight all right? We’ll meet you in the trophy room tomorrow night. It’s always unlocked.” Hermione waited for Draco and his friends to leave before she rounded on Ron and Harry.

“You mustn’t go wondering around the school at night, think of the points you’ll lose for Gryffindor if you’re caught, and you’re bound to be. And Harry, you’ve just made the quidditch team, do you really want to get kick off that fast?” Hermione said this all very fast and finished with a glare. Hannah stared down at her plate in silence as Ron bickered back and forth with Hermione. She had a point, but, Draco was a git. Hannah looked up when Harry asked for her opinion.

“Oh… uh. I don’t know. I guess if you’re careful?” she said with a shrug and cringed as Hermione rounded on her instead, telling her to talk sense into Harry and Ron. Hannah endured a few seconds of it before she thought her brain might explode.

“Okay, okay. We’ll talk more about it later. He has until tomorrow night to decide.” Hannah said in what she thought was a reasonable voice and Hermione quieted down and looked at her food, mumbling as she pushed it around on her plate with her fork. Hannah looked around at her friends; Harry was too picking at his food with a worried expression on his face and Ron was still slightly red around the ears from his argument with Hermione. The atmosphere had changed significantly from what it was a few minutes ago. Hannah would not allow this.

“Okay, get up.” She said and she stood and grabbed a large napkin and began to pile bits of fruit and other pieces of food on it. “Come on, get. Everyone grab some food.” She said in an unusually bossy voice when her friends stared at her blankly. The other three rose and began to pile food on napkins like Hannah was doing. They followed her lead and stuff the food in their bags and walked out of the Great Hall.

“What are we doing?” Ron asked when Hannah led the way up to Gryffindor tower, as triumphant smile on her face.

“We are going to go outside and have a picnic, my friend. To celebrate the youngest seeker in a century!” Hannah said dramatically and she grinned at him before slinging an arm around his shoulder.

“A picnic?” Harry asked. He remembered Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia taking Dudley out to different forests with a picnic basket on several occasions. He’d always been left with the old cat lady next door, Ms. Figg.

“Yup.” Hannah said as she reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. Hermione mumbled the password and the quartet stepped up into their common room. “You lot wait here.” Hannah said and she ran up to the girl’s dormitory without another word.

“Any idea what she’s doing?” Harry leaned over and asked Hermione, who was picking at her nails with a frown on her face. She sighed before answering. 

“Probably getting her record player and a blanket.” Hermione said and Harry’s heart soared. A record player! They could listen to music and eat food. He’d secretly always wanted to go on these picnics and now he was getting to with his new friends. Upstairs, Hannah stuffed different records in her bag and pressed the eject button on the side of her trunk. The record player fell out along with a case that once she slipped over the player, shrunk it enough to stuff in her bag. She smiled as she stowed it away and moved to her bed to grab a sheet off, Remus really had thought of everything. Hannah bounded down the stairs and rolled her eyes when she saw her three friends waiting for her in silence. They walked out and Hannah led them down an open passageway. The sun hit the four of them through the windows and Hannah smiled as she wrapped her hair up in a high bun and skipped outside. She led them around the edge of the forest as far as Ron and Hermione would go without complaining and finally she found a small clearing just under a hill. It was far enough away from the forest to not get them in trouble if anyone came by and there was a large hill right before it so they had privacy down in the green grass below either way. It was perfect, Hannah thought as she made Ron help her spread the large sheet on the grass. They all set out their individual foods and began to eat and laugh, their moods lightning significantly in the nice weather. Hannah set out her record player and threw a few records at Harry to chose from, as he was their reason for celebration. Harry selected an old record that he’d never heard before and Hannah smiled fondly at it before putting it on. It was one of Remus’ favorites.

_‘What a day for a daydream_

_What a day for a daydreamin' boy’_

They all took off their hot black robes and threw them on the ground beside them, Hermione being the only one to think to fold hers neatly and stuff it in her bag. Hannah and Hermione took off their grey sweater vests that they’d been wearing and Hannah leaned back and rested her head on Harry’s knee, closing her eyes and listening to the music and the conversation between Harry and Ron, totally at peace now that her friends were happy and getting along.

_‘And I'm lost in a daydream_

_Dreamin' 'bout my bundle of joy’_

Ron smiled as Harry interrogated him on what the hell a wizard’s duel was and how Draco expected them to fight when neither of them knew any spells yet. He stretched his arms back and let his long legs rest on the small sheet Hannah had sacrificed from her own bed for them to sit on. He looked over at Hermione and grinned when he saw her rolling her eyes and expressing her disapproval of this wizard’s duel in every way except words. The sunlight hit her dark brown skin at a nice angle, making her skin glow and her light brown eyes look quite pretty. He nudged her foot with his and grinned awkwardly at her, hoping she’d except this odd form of apology. She smiled back and Ron felt very giddy for some reason as he looked back at Harry and listened to him rant. 

_‘And even if time ain't really on my side_

_It's one of those days for takin' a walk outside’_

When Ron grinned at her Hermione’s heart soared. She did not like arguing with them but they really could be idiots sometimes and she felt they needed a good steering in the right direction every now and then. Still, arguing with them was not fun and she was happy when she saw that they’d both be going back to treating her normally. Hermione had her skinny legs tucked underneath her neatly and she stuck one hand out in the grass and twisted the pieces beneath her fingers as she looked around at her friends. Hannah still had her head propped up on Harry’s leg, something Hermione had not failed to notice Harry looked very happy about, and she’d opened her large amber eyes to look up at Harry and laugh when he said something particularly nasty about Draco. Hermione looked back over at Ron and was surprised to see him staring at her with a blank look on his face. When she caught him looking, his light brown eyes moved back to Harry and Hermione looked at him for quite some time, admiring the way the sunlight reflected in his bright red hair and how his freckles slowly became more pronounced the longer they sat out in the sun.

_‘I'm blowin' the day to take a walk in the sun_

_And fall on my face on somebody's new mowed lawn’_

Harry’s heart was not really in the verbal abuse he was spitting about Draco. Just like the day before, his body was in hypersensitive mode when Hannah touched him. He was thrilled, again, but still very nervous, again. Harry took his time looking at all his friends, admiring their contributions to his bullying and laughing along with them at his own jokes. He got so comfortable that he set his hand down on where Hannah’s hair started after finishing a particularly nasty comment that made Hermione say ‘Harry!’ and Ron snort up his strawberry. Hannah looked up at him with her amber eyes that seemed to glow even brighter in the sunlight and like instinct, Harry began running his finger’s through Hannah’s soft black hair. Hannah closed her eyes and smiled and Harry went back to talking to Ron. Hermione and Ron did not miss the small show of affection and they’d grinned at each other when Harry had first started but didn’t say a word.

_‘What a day for a daydream_

_Custom made for a daydreamin' boy_

_And now I'm lost in a daydream_

_Dreamin 'bout my bundle of joy’_

The quartet spent the rest of the day in that small clearing by the forest, eating food and arguing over which record to play next. Soon curfew weighed on them and they all sighed as they got up and put away their things. Hannah looked around at all of them packing and grinned as an idea formed.

“Wait, wait, wait.” She said with a smile that grew wider when her friends turned to look at her with eyebrows raised. “Does everyone have a water bottle?” Hannah asked and they all nodded and picked theirs up to show.

“Great.” Hannah twisted the cap off her own and held it above her head with a grin. Rolling their eyes, the other three followed her lead.

“TO THE YOUNGEST SEEKER IN A CENTURY!” Hannah shouted and then produced to chug the rest of the water out of her own metal container, ignoring the shushes from Hermione. They followed her lead and when they finished Harry bowed sarcastically and pretend to wipe tears from his eyes. Hannah kicked him in the shin and laughed when he had to hobble back to the castle. They made their way back up to the dormitory, Hannah managing an arm around both Harry and Hermione’s shoulders even though they were significantly taller. They hummed the tune of one of their songs and butchered the wording when they tried to sing it. Hannah was still giggling at ‘thinkin bout my packet of joy’ that Ron had sung out confidently when they heard sniffling noises coming from around the corner. They frowned at each other and turned down the small hallway cautiously, immediately seeing the cause of the noise. A small girl with black hair was curled up on the floor of the hallway, her head between her knees. They stepped over to her.

“Hey, are you okay?” Harry said carefully as he stuck an arm out to the girl. She gave a sniff and raised her head. The four Gryffindors would be lying if they said they hadn’t taken a few steps back when they saw her face. Pansy Parkinson looked up at them with puffy red eyes and squealed before she pushed herself further away from them. That was when Hannah saw the bruises on her face and the blood coming from her nose. She raised her arms in mock surrender before speaking.

“We’re not gonna hurt you.” She said and Pansy looked up hopefully when the other three nodded.

“Who did this to you, Pansy?” Hermione said, her voice soft. Pansy sniffled a little before answering.

“Some second year… Gryffindor girls. Three of them.” She said and she looked up at them like she expected them to start kicking her.

Hannah snorted instead. “Three on one? Not very brave.” She said and Pansy laughed a little.

“Do you want us to walk you to the hospital wing?” Ron spoke up from behind the group and he reached out a long freckled hand when Pansy shook her head yes. Together they walked her to the hospital wing in silence.

“Do you remember their names? Because remember we sleep in the Gryffindor dormitories and I can and will put itching powder in their pillowcases.” She said and Pansy snorted before saying no. They walked in silence a little more.

“I’m sorry for what I said earlier today. About Longbottom.” Pansy said suddenly, her face red.

“It’s okay.” They chorused back. Hannah cleared her throat awkwardly before speaking. Apologies never were her thing.

“I’m sorry for what I said too. About you and Parvati. Not cool.” She said as she studied her feet.

“It’s okay.” Pansy said quietly and soon they were outside the hospital wing, waving goodbye and walking back to their common room unusually quiet.

“That was weird.” Ron said finally and the rest of them shook their heads in agreement.

“I guess Gryffindors can be bullies too.” Hannah said thoughtfully, like it hadn’t crossed her mind yet.

“I guess so.” Harry said and Hermione remained quiet for the rest of the walk until they said their goodbyes and walked up to their separate dormitories. After putting away their things, Hannah and Hermione each collapsed on their own beds, far too exhausted to remember they needed each other’s comfort. Both girls fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. Who knew worrying over your friend being expelled, learning he’s the new seeker, laying out in the sun, and being nice to a Slytherin could make you this tired? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Daydream by The Lovin' Spoonful.


	7. Harvest Moon - Year One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *i wouldn't call it smut but mention of sex*  
> i quote again from the Philosopher's stone.

Remus had a job. Five times a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. he was answering phones in a dinky little secretaries’ desk for a small publishing company in the city. He learned very quickly that it was dull work, the phone hardly rang and if he didn’t look busy enough his walrus of a boss would waddle up to his desk to make ‘small talk’. So Remus brought a book to read when his boss wasn’t looking, and wrote letters to Hannah, Andromeda, Ted, Minerva, and Dora. He had to admit he’d been very social lately, at least to his standards. He wrote Hannah three times a week and Andromeda even more. She’d come over after his first full and ever since then had been coming almost every single day to have dinner and chat about things. When Remus told her about his new job and how he was lucky his full had been over the weekend this month she’d snorted. 

“Doesn’t sound very lucky to me. Place seems like your personal hell.” She’d stopped by the day before to bring him a surprise breakfast and he’d had to shush her multiple times from exclaiming about how gross the place was. That was one thing about the Black family, even the blood traitors were judgy. 

“It pays well,” Remus said with a shrug while he sipped his tea. 

“You shouldn’t be one with money troubles, Remus.” Andromeda said, raising an eyebrow. She knew about his absolute refusal to use the money in Sirius’ vault and they’d had many arguments over the years about it. Andromeda thought Remus was being stupid, not taking a single sickle for himself and Remus knew this very well. He sighed before answering. 

“I am not having money troubles, Andy. I need something to do while Hannah’s gone and it’s better than sitting here all day.” He said with a defiant expression. Andromeda just shrugged.

“You need to go out again. Get shagged.” She said with a smile as Remus snorted into his tea. Coughing and wiping the liquid off his shirt, he looked up at her.

“What?” He said and she rolled her eyes.

“Bloody hell, with that reaction, I know you heard me,” Andromeda said with a smile. Remus just stared at his now empty cup. She sighed before speaking again. “Go pick someone up at a muggle bar or something. Nothing permanent. But you know… take some stress off. When’s the last time you did that?” Remus looked up thoughtfully at her.

“Since that time Dora took Hannah to her flat for the weekend. So probably… two years? And some change.” He said with a smirk.

“Exactly. You need to get fucked. Or fuck someone.” She said with a smile and ignored Remus’ embarrassed spluttering. For someone who had a kid with Sirius Black, he really was bashful when it came to talking about sex. Remus frowned at his coffee cup and tried not to blush. He absolutely hated talking about his sex life. No matter how close he was to someone, he would never bring it up on his own. Hearing other people talk about theirs didn’t bother him as much (he’d endured many painful conversations with James when he'd first started dating Lily) but he never could get comfortable with his own. However he felt, Andromeda was right. He had nothing better to do and it had been too long. He told her this and she grinned and tried not to gloat as she suggested different places for him to go, even though she hadn’t been out to a bar herself in years. 

That weekend Remus went out and, never feeling uncomfortable by himself, sat alone at a noisy bar. It did not take long for a girl to approach him and start talking. Remus never liked his appearance very much and he’d always ignored Sirius’ incessant compliments when they were together but he could not deny that people seemed to like the way he looked. So soon enough he was back at her small apartment and she was clearing old beer bottles off her bed so they could lay down. That was one line that Remus would never cross, bringing a person home to their cottage. Once the blinding pain that was Sirius subsided, Remus realized that he’d only ever been with him and when he told Andromeda this, she pretty much did not stop telling him to go out and get shagged until he was stepping out of her door. None of his ‘dates’ went very far; none he’d ever bring home and not a single person would ever be good enough to meet Hannah. The girl he was with now was nowhere near a contender. It wasn’t like she wasn’t nice. Remus actually felt a bit disgusted with himself for not taking her seriously. She just wasn’t Sirius. The girl couldn’t be younger than thirty and she really was very pretty, Remus thought as he looked up at her face while she rode him. She had a short pixie cut that she’d dyed bright purple and a lip ring that Remus liked probably more than he should. Hannah might’ve even been happy if Remus brought this girl home for her to meet. But the thought of bringing her home never even crossed his mind. 

While she showered Remus dressed quietly and showed himself to the door, running into a roommate and smiling awkwardly at her even though she was giving him a death glare. He sighed as he shut the door behind him and walked a few blocks to apparate away from the eyes of muggles. Remus would not be doing that again, no matter what Andromeda said. It hadn’t been what he needed. 

**

“Merlin, Hermione, drop it.” 

It was Sunday evening and the quartet sat at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast. Because it was the weekend, and they had no flying lessons, they’d each dawned muggle clothes. Hannah wore light blue jeans, a pair of beat-up black converses, and a scarlet sweater that complimented her skin tone, Ron had khaki pants that were maybe just a few inches too short for him, old black sneakers that were a size too big, and a maroon sweater that looked homemade, Hermione had a lavender-colored cardigan, white sneakers, and dark blue jeans, and Harry had a large grey sweatshirt that he’d rolled the sleeves up on so he could move his hands, a large pair of jeans that were cuffed way too many times to be plausible, and his Hogwarts shoes. When Hannah had seen this ensemble she’d frowned, noticing it all looked like hand-me-downs but didn’t say anything as she could see Ron’s clothes were too. Three out of the four friends were grinding their teeth, trying to ignore Hermione’s insistent reminders of ‘Harry-you-just-made-the-team’ ‘Harry-you’ll-lose-those-points-I-got-from-Sprout-the-other-day’ and ‘Hannah-and-Ron-please-help-me-out-here!’. 

“I will not drop it, Ronald!”

Hannah snorted into her coffee at the use of Ron’s full name. Her eyes grew wide and for the first time since she got to Hogwarts, she attempted to not be seen as Hermione whipped her head around to glare at her when she heard her laughter. 

“Will you get out from under there!” Hermione shrieked as she reached a hand under the table to grab Hannah’s sweater. Hannah sat with her legs crossed, calmly sipping out of her coffee mug that she’d brought with her like nothing was out of the ordinary as Ron and Harry roared with laughter. Finally, Hannah could see that she was just making it worse and she sighed as she pushed herself back up on the bench next to her stressed friend. 

“It’s a wizards duel, Hermione,” Hannah said and she looked over at her with sympathetic eyes. She was just trying to help. “He can’t back out. He has to beat Malfoy.” 

“Neither of you know any spells!” Hermione exclaimed for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening. 

“Hermione, honestly,” Ron said in what he thought was a reasonable voice. “If Harry waves his wand and nothing happens, he can just chuck it and punch him in the nose!” Hannah and Harry laughed while Hermione spluttered at this ‘new level of stupidity’. Hannah knew that the duel was probably a bad idea but she’d taught Harry the tickling spell anyways even though it was second year material. He’d gotten okay at it and they figured when Draco started laughing loudly they could just run and leave him for Filch. Three of the four friends thought they had a pretty good chance of not getting caught and were ready to claw their eyes out listening to Hermione constantly remind them of this life changing mistake.

“Please,” Harry said, wringing his hands together in a mock-begging stance. “Please drop it. We’re going to go and we’re going to be fine.” At this Hermione looked him up and down before snorting and giving all her friends the cold shoulder. It got old as the evening went on and eventually Hannah, Ron, and Harry stopped trying to rope her into their conversation and just played chess amongst themselves. They played King of the Castle, where the loser had to sit out and watch and the champion played until they were defeated. This evened things up a great deal, as Harry was okay and Hannah and Ron were both very good and perfectly matched. Hannah and Ron would play, one of them would lose and play Harry, Harry would lose, they would play each other again, one of them would lose and play Harry… and so on. They played and laughed as the common room slowly emptied and soon Ron was checking his watch, informing the others that it was half-past eleven. 

“We’d better go then.” Hannah said with a smirk as she stood and stuffed her wand in her back pocket. The boys stood and the trio made towards the door, grinning at each other when Hermione spoke up from behind them. They knew she couldn’t keep the silence up forever. 

“I can’t believe you’re going to do this, Harry.” She said, shaking her head in disapproval. 

“I can’t believe you’re still complaining about it when you could come with us and see Malfoy get caught by Filch.” Hannah said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot in a perfect impression of their friend. 

“I thought about telling Percy, you know.” Hermione snapped. Ron opened his mouth to say something but Hannah just stuck her arm out, wanting to avoid conflict that would come back to bite them tomorrow when the issue was solved. 

“Come on, then.” Harry said and he led the way over to the door. Hermione followed the trio through the portrait hole, hissing like an angry goose. 

“Don’t you _care_ about Gryffindor, do you only _care_ about yourselves, _I_ don’t want Slytherin to win the house cup, and _you’ll_ lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about switching spells.” Hermione said. 

“Hermione, if you’re going to complain the entire way there, YOU’RE going to be the reason we get caught.” Hannah said with a roll of her eyes. 

“Better we get caught out here than all the way down in the trophy ro-“ 

“Shut up, both of you!” Harry said suddenly, sticking his arms out so his friends stopped walking beside him. 

“What is it?” Hannah asked, sounding excited. 

“I heard something.” Harry said softly. The four held their breath in unison and listened to the small snuffling sounds. 

“Mrs. Norris?” Ron said as he squinted through the dark. They walked over to where the sound was coming from to find that it was not Mrs. Norris, it was Neville. He was curled up in the hallway, fast asleep, but he shot up when he heard their footsteps coming towards him. 

“Thank goodness you found me! I’ve been out here for hours. I couldn’t remember the password to get into bed.” 

“Keep your voice down, Neville.” Ron hissed and looked around like Filch was going to pop out of one of the silver suits of armor that lined the corridor. 

“The password’s ‘custodi canem’ just tell the Fat L-“ But when Hannah turned to look at the portrait she was met with an empty painting. “Shit.” She mumbled under her breath. How were they going to get back in? 

“How’s your arm?” Harry asked Neville kindly to change the subject. “You were in the hospital wing for like two days.” Neville blushed red before answering. 

“Yeah… she… uh. Had to give me something for the shock.” Neville mumbled and there was an awkward silence for a beat before he spoke again. “But my arms fine! Madame Pomfrey mended it in about a minute.” He said with a smile as he showed off his healthy arm. 

“Good,” Harry said, nodding his head as he made to turn around. “Good… well, look, Neville, we’ve got somewhere to be, we’ll see you later-“ 

“Don’t leave me!” Neville said, looking around with wide eyes at the four friends. “I don’t want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron’s been past twice already.” Harry mumbled a short excuse and Hannah nudged Ron with her elbow, whispering a reminder of the time under her breath. Ron checked his watch and showed her before glaring furiously at both Neville and Hermione. 

“If either of you gets us caught, I’ll never rest until I’ve learned the animal switching spell McGonagall told us about and turned the pair of you into bugs to feed to Scabbers.” He said as he turned and let Harry lead the way to the trophy room. They were all nervous and jumpy, peeking their heads around every corridor before heading down it to check for Mrs. Norris or Filch. They got lucky. Hannah looked out of the window and spotted the large moon in the sky and immediately thought of her father, and what he’d say if he saw her now. Probably be proud, Hannah thought with a smirk as they sped off the staircase that led to the trophy room. Remus had told her way too much about his years at Hogwarts for Hannah to feel bad about a little midnight walk. He’d definitely be proud; he just wouldn’t admit it. 

Hannah reached out a hand and opened up the door to the trophy room, all five of them wincing when it creaked. They stepped inside and shut it behind them, looking around at the gleam of moonlight that caught the different trophies out of the small windows. They looked around for Draco and Crabbe but the place was empty. Harry took out his wand in case Draco was planning on jumping out and attacking immediately. Several minutes passed and no Slytherins appeared. 

“He’s late, maybe he’d chickened out.” Ron whispered. 

“Probably, the prat. Or he had no intention of coming in the first place.” Hannah mumbled under her breath. The minutes crept by until a noise in the next room made them all jump. Hannah saw Harry raise his wand through the moonlight and instinctively reached for her own, in case Draco was planning on playing dirty. A voice spoke from the next room and realization hit. Draco was playing dirty.

“Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner.” Filch said, obviously speaking to Mrs. Norris. Hannah’s heart dropped and she looked around to see a terrified Harry waving his hand frantically towards the door. The other four followed him as quietly as they could down a long gallery full of suits and armor. Suddenly they heard Filch’s footsteps grow nearer and Neville shrieked with fear before breaking into a run that quickly turned into a fall. He grabbed Ron around the waist in an attempt to steady himself and sent both of them toppling right into a suit of armor. The resulting crash seemed loud enough to wake the whole castle. 

“RUN!” Harry yelled, and the five of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following. Harry, Ron, and Hannah took the lead, leaving Hermione and Neville to stumble along a few paces behind them. They swung around a doorpost and hauled ass down one corridor then another, with no idea where they were or where they were going to end up. They ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway. Hannah bit back the urge to turn around and see exactly where the tapestry was so she could remember for later. They hurtled along it and came out near their charm’s classroom, which they knew was miles away from the trophy room. 

“I think we’ve lost him.” Harry panted as he leaned back against the cold stone wall and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Next to him, Hannah was steadying her breathing with a hand pressed over her chest and a gleeful expression on her face as she looked around at her friends. 

“Well, that was fun.” She said with a wicked grin.

“You’re… mad… absolutely… mad…” Neville wheezed from the floor where he’d thrown himself down as soon as they stopped. 

“I… told… you…” Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest. “I… told… you…” 

“Mione, your hearts gonna give out if you keep trying to shove the fact that you were right down our throats.” Hannah said with a roll of her eyes as she regained her breath completely and leaned her head back against the stone wall. 

“We’ve got to get back to the Gryffindor tower,” Ron said, snapping them all back to their senses. “quickly as possible.” 

“Malfoy tricked you,” Hermione said to Harry as she too regained her breath and straightened, much to everyone else’s dismay. “You realize that, don’t you? He was never going to meet you. Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off.” Harry thought secretly that she was probably right, but he wasn’t going to tell her that just yet. 

“Let’s go.” Harry said, taking the lead again down the dark moonlit hallway. They hadn’t even made it to the end before a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them. Hannah inwardly cringed as Peeves looked at them and cackled. 

“Shut up Peeves, please, you’ll get us thrown out.” Harry begged. 

“Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, Naughty, you’ll get caughty.” Peeves said in a loud carrying voice that Hannah was sure some nearby Professor would hear. 

“Not if you don’t give us away, Peeves, please.” Hannah said, taking the polite approach with the poltergeist. 

“Should tell Filch, I should. It’s for your own good, you know.” Peeves said in a saintly voice while his eyes glittered wickedly. Ron decided to take a different approach. 

“Get out of the way.” He snapped and swung at Peeves. 

“STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!” Peeves roared at the top of his voice and the five Gryffindors ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a locked door. 

“This is it! We’re done for! This is the end!” Ron moaned dramatically as Hannah backed up a couple of paces and ran at the door with her shoulder, earning her nothing but a bruise. They could hear Filch’s footsteps behind them, running as fast as he could towards Peeves’ shouts. 

“Oh, honestly, are you a wizard or not?” Hermione snarled as she pointed her wand at the door. “ _Alohomora!”_ The door swung open immediately and they all filed inside and shut the door quickly behind them, pressing their ears against the large oak door to listen. 

“Which way did they go, Peeves?” Filch said excitedly like Peeves was holding a present for him behind his back. “Quick, tell me.” 

“Say ‘please’.” 

“Don’t mess with me, Peeves, where did they go?” 

“Shan’t say nothing if you don’t say please.” Peeves said in an annoying singsong voice. 

“Alright… please.” 

“NOTHING! HAHA! Told you I wouldn’t say nothing if you didn’t say please!” Peeves yelled and they pulled away from the door just in time to hear Filch use a few new swearwords. 

“He thinks this door is locked.” Harry whispered. “I think we’ll be okay… get off, Neville!” He said to his chubby friend as Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Harry’s baggy sweatshirt for the last minute. “What?” The other four turned away from the door and saw exactly ‘what’. They weren’t in a room like they’d supposed before. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they’d discovered why it was forbidden. They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, one that filled the entire corridor with its gigantic body. In her shock, Hannah thought immediately of Cerberus, the large three-headed dog that guarded the entrance to the underworld in the old myths Remus used to read to her before bed. This dog had three heads too, along with three pairs of rolling mad eyes staring directly at the small children, three noses, and three drooling mouths. It was standing quite still and Hannah and Hermione both took notice of the large trap door under its feet before Harry twisted the doorknob open behind them and they all fell back into the corridor they’d been in before. Between death and Filch, they’d take Filch. They flew down the corridor and were lucky once more as they met no cats, caretakers, or professors on their way to the portrait of the Fat Lady, who was, to their relief, back in her portrait. 

“Where on earth have you all been?” she exclaimed, taking in their sweaty faces and their shortness of breath. 

“Never mind that… custodi canem, custodi canem .” Harry panted and the portrait swung open. They all scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs. For a while they sat in silence, Hannah raising a hand to quiet Hermione in what would’ve been a too-soon ‘I told you so’ for the second time that night. Neville looked like he may never speak again. Finally, Ron broke the silence.

“What do they think they’re doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school? If any dog needs exercise, that one does.” 

“You don’t use your eyes or brain do you?” Hermione snapped viciously. “Didn’t you see what it was standing on?” 

“The floor?” Harry suggested. “I wasn’t looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads.” 

“Trapdoor.” Hannah spoke up suddenly, grimacing when her friends turned to look at her. All that running had made her tired, she didn’t want to talk about this right now. 

“Yes, thank you, Hannah, a trapdoor,” Hermione said, nodding at her friend like she was the teacher and Hannah had answered a question correctly. “It was obviously guarding something.” Hannah, Ron, Harry, and Hermione all shared a meaningful glance, they didn’t want to talk about their conspiracy in front of Neville. Taking the lead, Hannah stood and announced that she was going to bed, already stating her excitement for when Draco saw them tomorrow and learned that his little scheme had failed. The rest followed her, the three boys waving goodnight to the two girls who did the same. Exhausted, Hannah threw herself down on her bed without changing out of her muggle clothes. She passed out almost immediately and Hermione smiled as she untied the laces on Hannah’s dirty black converses and placed them on the floor beside Hannah’s bed.

** 

The next morning, the four friends snickered to themselves at Draco’s shocked expression when he saw them sitting at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast, looking tired but happy.

“He really thought he had us, didn’t he?” Ron said with a smile as he piled eggs on his plate. Hermione rolled her eyes at her grinning friends. Honestly, they nearly get eaten by a three-headed dog and they still saw it as a win just because Draco’s plan didn’t go the way he wanted it to. They were ridiculous. She still smiled at them all as they ate way more than they should’ve, and Hannah poured half of the container of sugar in her morning coffee.

“I’m glad we did it though. It was a lot of fun and now we know exactly where the thing from Gringotts is being hidden.” Hannah said before sipping at her mug. Hermione rolled her eyes.

“It was not FUN. We could’ve been expelled.” She said for the third time that morning and Hannah, Ron, and Harry pulled ‘oh well’ expressions. “And either way, we don’t know for sure that that… thing is guarding what Hagrid took from Gringotts.”

“Probably though.” Ron said with a mouthful of bacon. “It’s got to be either really valuable or really dangerous to need that level of protection.”

“Or both.” Harry said helpfully and the quartet nodded.

“I think we should go back.” Hannah said with a smirk as Hermione looked at her like she’d been slapped.

“Go back? Why would we ever go back?” she exclaimed. Hannah just shrugged.

“To see what it’s guarding, duh.”

“I don’t think we’ve got a good chance of getting past that thing.” Harry said with a snort.

“Never know until you try, my friend.” Hannah said with a grin. Hermione continued to look outraged.

“Absolutely not! We got lucky last night! We will not go back, Hannah Lupin! I’ll tell Percy!” She said and the others spared an exasperated look. She sounded serious.

“We won’t go, Hermione.” Harry said reassuringly, and Hermione went back to looking happy, not noticing the glances between her three friends. Soon owls flooded into the Great Hall and Hannah looked up and smiled when she saw Ziggy approaching with a letter from Remus. In his last letter, he’d mentioned a job in the city and she’d written back curious on how it was going. She tucked the letter in her bag for reading later on in the day and her mouth fell open when a large, thin package carried by six screech owls was dropped in front of Harry. He looked shocked and Hannah could hardly contain herself as his shaking hands reached towards the letter attached.

“Oh! Harry you know what this is right?” Hannah exclaimed and Harry just grinned wider and wider as he read the letter in his hands. When his eyes moved away from the paper, Hannah snatched it from him to read for herself.

_DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE._

_It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don’t want everybody knowing you’ve got a broomstick or they’ll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o’clock for your first training session._

_Professor M. McGonagall_

Hermione read the letter over Hannah’s shoulder with far less enthusiasm than any of her friends. When she finished reading, Ron snatched the paper and scanned it eagerly. Hannah looked at the thin package like it was some sort of celebrity she’d been dying to meet. Ron looked up from the letter with a similar expression.

“A Nimbus Two Thousand! I’ve never even touched one!” He moaned enviously.

“Oh, Harry, let’s take it up to the common room and look at it before class!” Hannah begged. “A Nimbus Two Thousand…” She said as she shook her head. Harry grinned and obliged, and soon the quartet was headed to the Great Hall entrance carrying the long package between them, Hannah and Ron glaring at people that came too close like little 11 year old guard dogs. Halfway to the doors, they found their path blocked by three Slytherins. Malfoy snatched the package from Harry, ignoring Hannah’s gasp of protest, and felt it before throwing it back to him, a mixture of jealously and spite on his face.

“That’s a broomstick. You’ll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren’t allowed them.” He snarled. Ron couldn’t resist it. 

“It’s not any old broomstick. It’s a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you’ve got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty? Comets look flashy but they’re not in the same league as the Nimbus.” Ron said as he grinned at Harry. Hannah blushed; a Comet Two Sixty was exactly what she had. She’d gotten it for her tenth birthday, Remus had to withdraw quite a bit of money from the Black vault to purchase it for her. Blissfully ignoring this, Hannah made a mental note to ask her father for a different broom. Anything Draco thought was nice was ruined for her.

“What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn’t afford half the handle.” Draco snapped back. “I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig.” Hannah and Ron started towards him with murderous looks on their faces but were interrupted by tiny little Professor Flitwick.

“Not arguing, I hope?” he squeaked.

“Potter’s been sent a broomstick, Professor.” Draco said without hesitation.

“Yes, yes, that’s right.” Professor Flitwick said, beaming at Harry. “Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?”

“A Nimbus Two thousand, sir.” Harry said with a grin, fighting off the strong urge to laugh at the look of horror on Draco’s face. “And it’s really thanks to Malfoy here that I’ve got it.” He added before reaching out a hand and patting Draco on the shoulder. Draco twisted away from him dramatically, earning him a raised eyebrow from Professor Flitwick. Hannah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all headed upstairs, stifling their laughter and thanking Merlin for Professor Flitwick. Back in the common room, Hannah and Hermione hesitated before following the boys up to their dormitory.

“Oh, that’s right. You two aren’t blokes.” Ron said thoughtfully, like it hadn’t occurred to him until now. Hermione rolled her eyes and shoved past him.

“We can still go, I’m just not eager about the smell.” Hermione said cheekily and they all walked up to the first year boy’s dormitory, where inside Harry ran over to his bed and threw down his new broomstick, unwrapping it eagerly even though they hardly had time to look before classes started. All four friends looked at the broom with wide eyes. Even Harry and Hermione, who knew nothing about brooms, knew that it was a good one. They stood and stared at the shiny mahogany and the small ‘Nimbus Two Thousand’ written in gold lettering near the handle until Hermione's watch rang, reminding them of the time, and they ran downstairs to get to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

The next two months passed very quickly, with Harry’s quidditch practices three times a week, piles of homework that they did laying out in their small clearing by the forest, and lessons that seemed to be getting far more interesting now that they were past the basics. Hannah, Ron, and Hermione sat out on the quidditch pitch’s bleachers and watched Harry fly when they had no homework to catch up on. Hannah wrote her letters to Remus during every practice which turned out to be a good routine as they both wrote exactly three times a week. She alone made it to every single one, even if that meant doing her homework by wand light on the bleachers when the sun went down.

Wood took notice of her incessant visiting and asked one night, when Hermione wanted to do her potion’s essay the day it was assigned and Ron caved to Hermione’s warnings of flunking, if Hannah was planning on trying out for the team next year. She’d beamed at him before answering ‘yes, of course’. And Wood asked Harry to let Hannah take a ride on his Nimbus to show him, just out of curiosity, what she could do. Hannah did not disappoint. Harry’s Nimbus rode like a dream and she spun around the pitch, throwing balls, diving, and occasionally swinging a bat. Harry felt himself smiling very widely as his friend zoomed around on his broom, though he could not figure out exactly why.

“Well done!” Wood said after calling Hannah down. “Well done! You’re a natural! What position do you play?” Hannah grinned at the twins before answering.

“I prefer beater. But I’m a decent chaser as well.” She said, only slightly out of breath. Wood smiled at her.

“Well, we’ve got our beaters…” he said with a shrug as he pointed to Fred and George.

“Damn right, you do.” George said menacingly as Fred cracked his knuckles mock threateningly. Hannah flipped them a bird before turning back to Wood.

“But Alicia is leaving this year. I can pretty much guarantee you a spot.” He said with a grin as Hannah’s face lit up when the tall, pretty, seventh-year, native american girl that was Alicia Spinnet waved at her.

“Really?” Hannah exclaimed and Wood nodded. All the way back to the dormitory, Hannah talked loudly about quidditch and how she had to rewrite her newest letter to Remus and tell him and oh how great was it going to be! Harry grinned as she ranted and paid attention to how deep her dimples went when she smiled and the way the moonlight seemed to bring out the amber in her eyes. They were both so distracted, they did not notice the amount of noise Hannah was making as they thundered down the hall so close to curfew. Filch snarled from behind them, causing both of them to jump violently.

“Out a little late, aren’t we?” he said with a grin as both black-haired children turned to look at him with a feeling of dread.

“We were just coming back from quidditch practice, sir.” Harry said politely. Filch turned his ugly eyes on Hannah.

“I don’t see this one in a uniform.” He said as he looked her up and down.

“I just went to keep him company. But we’re heading back to our dorm now.” Hannah said with a forced smile.

“You’re breaking curfew.” Filch said and Harry frowned as he checked his wristwatch.

“We’ve still got five minut-“

“You won’t make it up to Gryffindor tower in five minutes.” Filch said with a sneer.

“You would’ve if you hadn’t stopped us-“ He interrupted her again and Hannah was starting to get irritated. It was clear that Filch guessed or saw them last night and now he was taking his anger out on them when they weren’t doing anything wrong except maybe making too much noise.

“I don’t want to hear your excuses, child.” Filch snarled. “You two follow me to my office.” He said and he lead them down a dark corridor, mumbling about ‘punishment either way’. Hannah and Harry looked at each other miserably. Telling Hermione about this was not going to be fun. Hannah considered just running for it but Harry had his broom and Hannah her bag, and there was no way Filch would just let them walk past him the next day. So they followed him into what seemed like a broom closet with a desk and took the two dingy little chairs that sat opposite him while he shuffled about, looking for a slip to write them up. He found two and sat down with them, writing the Gryffindors up for breaking curfew and disturbing the peace. Hannah rolled her eyes at this last accusation. She’d just been talking!

While Filch mumbled to himself, Harry looked around the room. File cabinets lined the walls, with bits of unorganized paper sticking out occasionally. The floors were dusty and gave off the faint smell of mold, and they could hear rats scrambling about under the floors. For the caretaker, he really was filthy. Harry’s eyes rested on the cabinet right beside him that was labeled ‘highly dangerous’. There was what looked like a piece of old parchment sticking out of it and Harry frowned, suddenly curious. How could an old piece of parchment be highly dangerous? He nudged Hannah’s foot with his own and nodded his head towards the cabinet. Her amber eyes widened as she read the label and her face broke out in a grin that quickly faded as Filch cleared his throat and handed the slips back to them, informing them to give them to their head of house, and that he would be checking to see if they had. Hannah fought off the urge to roll her eyes at this, knowing that she had absolutely no intention of handing the slip to Minerva and if he checked, it was his word against theirs. Honestly, how long had he been doing this? He had to be smarter than that. As they made to the door Harry suddenly cleared his throat and turned to face Filch, sadness etched on his face as he studied his feet.

“Mr. Filch, sir,” he began and Hannah fought off a smile as she caught on to his plan. “I just wanted to say I’m so sorry if we inconvenienced you today. It wasn’t our intention… and we know you work hard to keep our wonderful school clean and running smoothly-“

Hannah dropped her slip by the cabinet as Harry went on. She muttered a ‘sorry’ at Filch when his eyes flickered to her momentarily before looking back at Harry’s extremely convincing apologetic face. Where did he learn to act like that? Hannah grinned to herself as she bent down by the cabinet to pick up her slip and to work the bit of old parchment out from it’s slightly ajar hiding place. She did it in one quick movement and stuffed it in the pocket of her robes as she straightened with her slip and fought to keep the grin off her face when she saw Filch had not noticed a thing.

“… just feel terrible about it, sir, and I just wanted to let you know.” Harry finished and he looked up at Filch with bright innocent green eyes.

“Same here, sir. We’re very sorry.” Hannah said quite lamely compared to Harry’s speech. Filch spared her a glance before looking back at Harry. He looked like he enjoyed the apology very much and seemed to have a permanently smug look glued to his ugly features as he told them both that they still had to give their slip to Minerva. They nodded and turned in unison, resisting the urge to run as they walked out of his dingy little office. They speed walked to the next corridor and then broke out in to a run for no real reason except pure adrenaline.

“Did you get it?” Harry said with a grin when they stopped at the end of the hall, neither of them out of breath in the slightest. Hannah smiled at her friend and pulled the parchment out of her pocket. It was definitely old, with yellowing paper and ink spots covering the entire surface. They both looked up at each other, wondering the same thing. How could this possibly be dangerous?

“Where the hell did you learn to act like that? That was bloody brilliant!” Hannah exclaimed and then lowered her voice considerably when Harry shushed her.

“Living with the Dursley’s has some upsides, I guess.” Harry said with a shrug and a grin. Hannah did not find this remotely funny and she stared at her friend sadly before spotting the time on his wristwatch and shaking herself.

“We’d better get back.” Hannah said as she glanced around the moonlit hallway. “We really are breaking curfew now and he didn’t give us any passes.” Harry nodded at this and Hannah stuffed the parchment back in her robes as they walked to their common room. They were lucky, making it to the portrait of the Fat Lady with no problems. Mumbling ‘custodi canem’ they stepped in and walked immediately over to the large armchairs in the corner where Ron and Hermione were sitting. They explained about Filch stopping them, ignoring Hermione’s huffs of ‘I told you so!’ and when Harry got to the part about spotting the highly dangerous cabinet, Hannah took out the old parchment and laid it on the small coffee table that her friend’s homework was spread out on. The four friends leaned over it.

“This is highly dangerous?” Ron said in disbelief.

“That’s what it said.” Harry said as he poked the parchment gingerly with his ring finger like it might explode. Hermione sighed before taking out her wand and setting it on the parchment.

“Er… what are you?”

As though an invisible hand was writing on the parchment, words appeared on its smooth surface.

_Mr. Wormtail prefers the question ‘who are you’._

_Mr. Moony would like to advise this new seeker to put the parchment away and focus on their studies._

_Mr. Padfoot would like to know more about who has found their super-secret parchment._

_Mr. Prongs seconds that and asks Mr. Moony to please keep his extracurricular activities away from the ears of opened minded Hogwarts students who have lives to live._

Hannah felt dizzy as she stared at her father’s handwriting. Not just her father’s handwriting, but Sirius, James, and Peter’s handwriting as well. What in the name of Merlin’s saggy left…

“… tell it our names, what’s it gonna do?” Harry said excitedly and Hannah looked up, just now noticing he was speaking. Ron was shaking his head.

“My Dad told me not to interact with something if I can’t see where it keeps its brain.”

“He’s got a point, Harry,” Hermione said with a frown. “We don’t know what this thing is and if it was labeled highly dangerous it might’ve been for a reason-“

“My name is Hannah Lupin and my friends are Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley,” Hannah said, her face set as she pointed her own wand at the old parchment. She hardly heard Ron’s groan and Hermione’s loud warnings. “What are you?”

_Mr. Prongs needs a moment, as he feels his heart may explode._

_Mr. Moony now insists that these new seekers put the parchment away and focus on their studies._

_Mr. Padfoot also needs a moment, as he can not remember ever being this happy before._

_Mr. Wormtail still prefers the question ‘who are you’ but would like to inform these new seekers that the Messrs. are here to help with their everyday Hogwarts endeavors._

Hannah gaped at the parchment, too shocked to let tears fall. It was clear Harry had not recognized the writing as he talked excitedly to Ron and Hermione, trying to justify the words on the parchment.

“What do you mean, help us?” Hannah asked again with the tip of her wand, ignoring her friend’s protests.

_Mr. Padfoot recognizes the seriousness of this conversation and is now calm enough to answer questions. He would also like to state that he is so, so proud._

_Mr. Moony has never been more torn in his life but will answer Ms. Lupin’s questions if she asks the right ones._

_Mr. Prongs thinks he could beat Mr. Padfoot in a proudness contest._

_Mr. Wormtail would like to add that a simple statement will stop his partner’s blubbering._

The four Gryffindors leaned over the parchment, Ron and Hermione’s protests had disappeared with Mr. Moony’s statement, as they now had a puzzle to solve. Hannah frowned in thought before asking again.

“A simple statement… so a password?”

_Mr. Wormtail would like to state that Ms. Lupin is correct. He would also like to apologize in advance for the next round of statements._

_Mr. Prongs is glad he is currently a piece of parchment, as he would not be able to control his anus right now if he had one._

_Mr. Padfoot thinks Mr. Prongs is gross and should give answers instead of blabbering. Mr. Padfoot also wants to inform Ms. Lupin that she is awesome and should keep up the good work._

_Mr. Moony would like to point out the hypocrisy in Mr. Padfoot’s last statement but would also like to inform Ms. Lupin that she is doing great._

They sat like that for some time, each suggesting answers for Hannah to ask the bit of parchment. Hannah was only half paying attention. Her fathers must’ve made this when they were in school and whatever it was, they left a little part of themselves in it, like an imprint of their personality. Hannah had to dig her nails into her forearm to distract from the tears that were threatening to fall. She was basically talking to Sirius. She was talking to her father and she shouldn’t be this excited about it. She kept having to look up at Harry and remind herself what Sirius had done when ‘Mr. Padfoot’ stated his proudness or talked about how amazing she was. She shouldn’t want to talk to him this badly… she shouldn’t be on the edge of her seat, suggesting answers without consulting her friends just to see his messy scrawl appear on the paper. She shouldn’t love him.

“Okay… okay. How about ‘I promise I’m gonna fuck shit up’.”

_Mr. Prongs is delighted to say they are getting closer and hopes that Ms. Lupin’s last suggestion came from Mr. Potter._

_Mr. Moony wants to know why such foul language is necessary._

_Mr. Padfoot once heard Mr. Moony use the f word five times in one sentence and therefore begs Ms. Lupin to ignore any shit from Mr. Moony about swearing._

_Mr. Wormtail is pleased that these new seekers are on the right track but invites them to use politer language._

“How about… ‘I promise that I am up to no good.’”

“Ouuu good one, Ron!”

“Okay… ‘I promise that I am up to no good.’” 

_Mr. Moony would like to inform Ms. Lupin that she is very close. He would also like to add that the first part of their statement is off just a pinch._

_Mr. Prongs wants Mr. Potter to know that he is awesome at guessing._

_Mr. Padfoot wants Mr. Prongs to realize that Ms. Lupin is guessing and not Mr. Potter, and that Ms. Lupin is awesomer at guessing._

_Mr. Wormtail would like to go back to the matter at hand and inform these new seekers that they will reveal the parchments secret soon. But only if they solemnly swear it._

“Why’d he say it like that?”

“Because that’s it! Solemnly swear!”

“That’s what I suggested in the beginning but no one-“

“Okay, shut up. I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”

_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

_Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers_

_are proud to present_

_THE MARAUDER’S MAP_

The four Gryffindors gaped at the piece of parchment that now showed every detail of Hogwarts, down to the people walking around beside them. They stared at it for some time, flipping the pages and looking around at the entirety of Hogwarts. This must’ve taken them ages, Hannah thought as Hermione pointed out all the different secret passageways. She looked at the four different handwritings that covered the map and finally felt tears leave her eyes. They’d been here, real friends, they’d spent so much time together making this and now Hannah had everything at her fingertips, she had the proof. She could close the map if she wanted to and talk to her father. She had everything that she didn’t want to admit she wanted.

“Are you okay?” Harry asked as he spotted the tears running down his friend’s face. Hannah sniffled and wiped herself off before smiling at him.

“Yes, just tired. Eyes water up.” It was a terrible excuse and the three other friends knew it but could see Hannah did not want to talk about it. They looked back at the map where, at the top, the words ‘mischief managed’ were written in Remus’ handwriting. Hannah pointed her wand at it and said the words and immediately the parchment returned to normal, earning a round of ‘cool’s from Harry and Ron. Over at the opposite side of the room, Fred and George watched the four first years pour over the map.

“I mean, we already have it memorized.” George said. “Why don’t we let them have it?”

“Because think of all the shit they’ll get into with that thing.”

George snorted. “So? They’ve been getting into shit just fine without the map. Did you hear them come in the other night? Sounded like a hoard of elephants.”

Fred just rolled his eyes. George sighed before speaking again. 

“Look, all I’m saying is they’re gonna get into shit anyways. One of them is Harry Potter for Merlin’s sake. We should at least let them have something to help. So they don’t get caught. Which, by the sound of it, they'd been coming close.”

“Alright, alright. They can keep it.” Fred said and when George smiled smugly and relaxed back in his chair, Fred turned on him again.

“Think about how happy Lee would be if we got it back!”

“Lee shouldn’t have gotten it taken the first week of school.” George grumbled moodily. Fred could not argue with this so he sat back and grinned at the four first years as they made their way to their separate dormitories. Ron’s brow furrowed, probably thinking they were up to something, but the rest smiled back as they walked through their separate doorways and went off to bed. George smiled happily at the map that was clutched tightly in his little brother’s fist.

**

A week passed and the four Gryffindors used the map for almost everything, pulling it out even when it wasn’t needed and almost getting it taken a fair few times. Harry couldn’t help but notice a flicker of sadness play across Hannah’s face every time they opened it and he wanted desperately to know what was wrong with her, he just didn’t know how to ask. Ron and Hermione had noticed her mood too, they talked when she wasn’t listening and made attempts to make her feel better with picnics and music. It would work temporarily and then Hannah would close back up, insisting that she was just tired. That particular night, the map seemed to be getting to Hannah more than usual and she told her friends that she was going to stay in the common room a bit longer when they stood up to leave. She waved them away when their faces turned concerned, urging them to go to sleep. Harry tossed and turned, unable to shake the feeling that Hannah was hurting and there was nothing he could do about it. Sighing, he climbed out of bed and headed downstairs, wanting to check if Hannah was still awake in the common room by herself. As he walked down, he heard music and he smiled to himself before turning the corner and letting his eyes rest on his friend. Hannah was sitting on the windowsill, staring up at the sky where the full moon shone. She’d gone upstairs a few minutes before to get her record player and change into pajamas for the night. Harry didn’t know it, but she would’ve been awake even if nothing was bothering her.

_‘Come a little bit closer_

_Hear what I have to say_

_Just like children sleepin'_

_We could dream this night away’_

A voice crooned from her record player and Harry couldn’t help but smile when he heard her choice of song. He’d played it just the other day at their picnic. He walked and tried to make as much noise as possible so he wouldn’t have to speak and scare her. She did not move her large amber eyes away from the moon and Harry sighed before clearing his throat to catch her attention. As he predicted, she jumped violently and placed a hand over her chest to calm her heart when she saw her friend standing by an armchair, apologizing awkwardly. Harry walked over to her and pushed himself up on the windowsill as well.

“You’re still awake.” He said as her eyes moved back to the moon.

“So are you.” She sounded so removed, so unlike herself, that Harry could not take it anymore.

“Tell me what’s bothering you, Hannah. I’m not leaving until you do.”

Hannah looked away from the moon to stare into Harry’s green eyes. She seemed to be fighting herself about something and Harry waited patiently for her to speak.

_‘But there's a full moon risin'_

_Let's go dancin' in the light_

_We know where the music's playin'_

_Let's go out and feel the night’_

Hannah sighed and then smiled sadly at him before talking.

“You really don’t recognize the handwriting on the map, do you?”

Harry had not been expecting this and when he looked puzzled and shook his head, Hannah smiled again. 

“Yeah, I mean, it’s their cursive so I imagine it would be different from their disjointed first year handwriting but, it’s still them.”

“Our Dads.” Harry said, realization settling and his heart soaring. So that’s why Mr. Prongs had been so weird when he was guessing the password.

“Yes. Our Dads.” Hannah said sadly and Harry looked back at her, confused on why this was what was bothering her. He asked and she grimaced before answering.

_‘Because I'm still in love with you_

_I want to see you dance again_

_Because I'm still in love with you_

_On this harvest moon’_

“Harry, what I’m about to tell you will probably make you see me differently. And I’m not going to judge you for that.” Hannah held up a hand when Harry opened his mouth to tell her that nothing would make him see her differently; he’d only known her for a few months and he already knew that she was going to be his best friend.

“Please just let me talk.” She said and Harry, unwillingly, sat back.

“You know that our parents were friends all throughout their Hogwarts years and right up to when your parents were killed by Voldemort. What you don’t know is who exactly my parents are. I have two Dads. And they were both your Dads best friends. You know them as Mr. Moony and Mr. Padfoot. Their real names are Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. They were in love and they wanted to bring something good into the world around the time of the war, inspired by your parents of course. So they got a surrogate and they had me. Not a lot of people knew because of the, well, homophobia. But I was theirs and that’s how we were so close as babies. But when your parents found out Voldemort was coming for them and they had to go into hiding; they used a spell called the fidelius charm. The fidelius charm works by concealing your location with one person, your secret-keeper, and that person is the only one capable of finding the location or revealing the location. Your parents chose my father, Sirius, as their secret-keeper. And he sold them out to Voldemort.” Hannah was silent for a few seconds and Harry was holding his shaking hands, not fully processing her words yet.

“He’s the reason they’re dead. And after you survived the curse and defeated Voldemort, he ran out to your house, I guess to check for Voldemort’s body… I’m a bit fuzzy on the details my Dad told me all of this three years ago and we haven’t talked about it since. But he left my Dad and I and ended up getting cornered by a man named Peter Pettigrew. You know him as Mr. Wormtail. Peter shouted at him and Sirius killed him, along with twelve muggles that just happened to be around. He was arrested and he’s been in the wizard prison, Azkaban, ever since. My Dad didn’t know, of course. No one did. But that’s who my father is. That’s why the map is hard for me.” 

_‘When we were strangers_

_I watched you from afar’_

“Harry I understand if you don’t want to be my friend-“

“No.”

_‘When we were lovers_

_I loved you with all my heart’_

Harry’s voice was stern, but not cruel, and he looked up at her with big green eyes full to the brim with tears. Hannah felt her heart catch in her throat.

“It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault that he did that. And I’m sorry that he did. Not just for me. I imagine living with that knowledge is pretty hard.”

Hannah snorted as tears poured down her face.

“Not nearly as hard as living without any parents, I imagine.”

“Ah well, guess we’ll never know.”

Hannah started laughing then. Not a happy laugh but still a laugh. It quickly turned into a sob and Harry scooted over on the sill so he could wrap one skinny arm around her while she cried. It was all so ridiculous, that it had to be like this. That it had to hurt like this. Hannah hadn’t even known Harry for three months and she’d be willing to die for him if he asked. How could her own father…

_‘Because I'm still in love with you_

_I want to see you dance again_

_Because I'm still in love with you_

_On this harvest moon’_

Hannah’s sobs subsided and Harry patted her back awkwardly as she sat up. Shoulder to shoulder, they leaned their backs on the window pane and looked out into the common room. The song faded out and was replaced by an even slower, sadder melody. It was a while before either of them spoke.

“We should take back the map.” Harry said suddenly, and Hannah looked over at him in surprise.

“What?”

“We should take it. And make it ours. I don’t want you to look at it and think of what they were. I want you to look at it and think of us.”

“How?”

Harry grinned at her.

“We take their names.”

“Still lost.”

“We take their names. I’ll be Prongs, Hermione can be Moony, Ron can be Wormtail-“

“He won’t like that.”

“- and you can be Padfoot.”

Hannah was silent.

“Think about it, you can rewrite who Padfoot was. You’re not your father. We can take back the names.”

“Yeah, okay.” Hannah said with a smile. She liked the name Padfoot. She loved dogs. And Harry was the best friend she could ask for. She told him this and she grabbed his hand with hers. They sat for a while longer until Harry yawned loudly and Hannah took that as her cue. She gathered her things together and told him it was fine; they would go to bed. They stepped up to the doorframe and Harry stopped and grinned at her before walking up to his bed.

“Goodnight Padfoot.”

“Goodnight Prongs.”

Hannah did not sleep that night, but if she had, she wouldn’t have dreamed of Sirius.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Harvest Moon by Neil Young.


	8. Piece of My Heart -Year One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *TW* mention of homophobia and child abuse. please let me know if i need to give any other trigger warnings for things i'm missing.  
> quoting from the Philosopher's stone  
> 

Before Harry went to sleep, he pulled out the photos Hannah’s father had copied for him. Specifically, the wedding photos. He flipped through his unorganized pile until he found the set he was looking for and studied the pictures in the light of the small gas lamp by his bedside table. He saw who he was looking for immediately and cursed himself for not paying attention before to the person standing in the best man's spot, next to his father. When he’d gotten the pictures, Hannah had eyed him nervously and waited for him to ask who the other people in the photo were, but he seemed to only have eyes for Lily and James. This spared Hannah from explaining who her father was for quite some time until the map came along and broke the dam of guilt Hannah had built up for not telling Harry sooner and just enjoying being his friend, of course. Now Harry studied the other people, taking note of the tall skinny man that he’d met on the platform and the short chubby man with mousey hair before resting on the tall, black-haired man that was Hannah’s other father. Harry could not believe the resemblance hadn’t caught his eye before. They had the same facial structure, the same hair that fell around their face in the same way, the same eyebrows, and the same way of holding themselves, leaning back and forth on the balls of their feet like they had too much energy to be standing perfectly still. The picture wasn’t muggle, so when Sirius moved or talked Harry saw his hands move the same way Hannah did when she was excited about something, and his chin lifted the same way when the person holding the camera said something to get their attention. Harry watched as Sirius slung an arm around James and grinned for the camera. He could not help the anger that rose in his chest then. He would still have his parents if it wasn’t for this man… now he understood why Hannah had been so surprised by his reaction. 

Hannah… this wasn’t her fault. She was nothing like this man, no matter how closely she resembled him. Harry watched Sirius’ smile and was pleased to see it was nothing like his daughter’s. Hannah’s smile was, however, plastered to the face of the man standing next to Sirius, along with her dimples and her eyes. Harry felt a sudden rush of affection for Remus as he watched Sirius pose again for the camera, this time with his arm wrapped around the waist of his slightly taller partner. Sirius leaned over and kissed Remus on the mouth, and when he pulled away, the two men stared into each other’s eyes with lovesick expressions on their faces before Harry’s father swatted Sirius on the back of the head to get his attention as the cameraman called for a different pose. 

Harry felt another rush of sadness as he caught the happy expression on Remus’ face while he stared at his boyfriend. The Dursley’s never had ‘the talk’ with Harry, they’d never explained how things worked and they definitely never explained what gay people were, but once they went to a small playground with Dudley and Harry was taken along as Mrs. Figg was out of town and could not watch him. Harry had been nine and was absolutely thrilled to go since he had no memories of ever being at a park before. While they were there, Harry separated as far as he could from Dudley and ended up playing with a boy around his age. The boy asked him if he wanted to play ‘house’ and they pretended to be a Mum and a Dad for some time, sitting underneath the slide so they were hidden from the sun and Dudley. At some point, the other boy leaned in and kissed Harry on the mouth and Harry leaned in and kissed him back, as this was what Mum’s and Dad’s were supposed to do. Almost immediately, Aunt Petunia was yanking Harry by the arm back to the car and yelling obscenities at him, calling him a freak and claiming he ruined their perfect day. Harry did not see what was wrong with what he’d done, the other boy was nice and Harry had enjoyed kissing him, and when he defensively told his Aunt and Uncle this, Petunia reached back in the seat and hit him repeatedly before turning back around and sobbing at the ‘mess her sister left her in’. Harry was locked in the cupboard for the longest period that he could remember for that and seeing Remus and Sirius kiss so openly made Harry feel mixed emotions that he did not understand. 

As Harry stuffed the pile of photos back in his bedside drawer and turned his gas lamp off, he made a mental note to write to Remus when he woke up in the morning to thank him for sending the pictures himself. 

**

The next day was Halloween and both Ron and Hermione were surprised but pleased to see that Hannah had gone back to her normal self. While still looking slightly tired, Hannah joked and laughed like normal while drinking too much coffee and trying to levitate bits of bacon up Draco’s nose. 

“Hannah, a teacher is going to see you doing that.” Hermione said with the heir of someone trying to hide a smile as Hannah flicked her wand up and Draco jumped out of his seat, sneezing uncontrollably. They were not due to start levitation charms until later that evening but Hermione and Hannah had practiced a few nights before in anticipation. Hermione didn’t know that Hannah’s ‘anticipation’ was just wanting to send things flying up parts of her least favorite Slytherin’s anatomy, of course. Hannah put her wand away and smiled at her friend. 

“Oh please, no one saw a thing. And he deserves it. Remember yesterday when he made the pumpkin juice spill on us? Fair is fair.” 

“I forgot that he did that, the prat,” Ron said while he stole the last piece of sausage off Hannah’s plate, ignoring her protest. “He deserves worse than some bacon, Hermione. I had to go the whole day with a pumpkin juice stain down my front.” 

Harry snorted. “Git didn’t even try to hide the fact he did it. Spill some syrup on him, Padfoot.” he said with a grin. 

“Ooh, good idea, Prongs.” Hannah grinned back. Ron and Hermione looked confused. 

“Aren’t those the names from the map?” Hermione asked. “Why’re you calling each other that?” 

Hannah and Harry grinned mischievously at each other before answering. 

“We’ll explain later. We’re still going out to the forest before Charms right?” Harry said and smiled when his friends all nodded back at him. They’d taken to just carrying around their supplies for their spot with them wherever they went, so they could run inside and grab some food and make it outside for lunch or dinner. They had History of Magic first, where Hannah got her missing sleep and woke up practically buzzing with energy, much to the next teacher’s dismay. Snape’s class passed with the usual incidents, Hannah and Harry enduring relentless bullying, Hannah grinding her teeth loudly in an attempt to keep her temper at bay, and Neville walking out of the class in tears. The quartet walked out of his class in a fury, Hermione slightly behind with an arm around Neville, trying to tell him that his sticking solution hadn’t really been that bad. They walked to the Great Hall where they dropped Neville off with Dean and Seamus, grabbed some food, and almost ran to their spot by the forest, Hermione taking out their designated sheet as Hannah took out her record player and shuffled through the albums in her bag. Ron helped Hermione spread out the sheet and soon they laid out on the blanket, listening to one of Hannah’s favorites, Janis Joplin. 

_‘Didn't I make you feel like you were the only man?_

_And didn't I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can?_

_Honey, you know I did_

_And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I've had enough_

_But I'm gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough’_

Ron, Harry, and Hermione all remained sitting, sharing turkey sandwiches and fruit as Hannah stood and danced to the music coming from her record player. After a few seconds taking in the loud picture of Hannah flailing about, screaming the lyrics, Hermione turned to Harry. 

“So, what’s happened?” she asked with a curious expression and next to her, Ron nodded.

“Yeah, how’d you get her back to normal?” 

Harry smiled as he looked at his dancing friend. 

“ _I want you to come on, come on, come on, come on, and take it!_ ” Hannah sang in a loud voice with far too much energy for someone surviving off an hour and a half nap and two cups of coffee. 

“Hey, Hannah, come and sit down.” Harry called and nodded to Ron and Hermione’s concerned expressions. Hannah sighed before throwing herself down next to Hermione, turning the sound on the record player down just a bit so she’d be heard. 

_‘Take another little piece of my heart now, baby_

_Break another little bit of my heart now, darling_

_Have another little piece of my heart now, baby_

_You know you got it if it makes you feel good’_

Hannah and Harry had never exactly talked about telling Ron and Hermione who Sirius was and what he’d done, but the thought of leaving them out of the loop never crossed either of their minds. Plus, they needed to explain their cause for the nicknames. Harry and Hannah both agreed that Ron wouldn’t accept the name ‘Wormtail’ unless he absolutely had to. When Hannah told the entire story of her parents and why she’d been upset about the map, Hermione actually shed a few tears and Ron paled, mumbling apologies to no one in particular. 

“Hannah, I’m so sorry,” Hermione said as she placed a hand on her friend’s knee. “And you too Harry… I can’t even imagine.” 

Ron nodded. “Yeah, mate. We wouldn’t have used the map like that either if we’d known. Hannah, I should've realized.” 

“No, seriously, I should’ve just told you guys sooner. Don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything.” Hannah said with a smile and she placed her hand on Hermione’s and squeezed it. 

“If you guys don’t want to use the map anymore, we don’t have-” 

“No, no, the opposite.” Harry said and he and Hannah shared a grin. Hermione frowned. 

“Is this about the names this morning?” 

Hannah beamed at her. “Yup.” 

“We want to adopt the nicknames. Since there’s four of us too. We should take them and remake who the names are. Because Hannah isn’t her father and the map is awesome.” Harry said. 

“Also, the nicknames are cool.” Hannah said with a smile.

“That too.” 

“So who is who?” Ron asked and Hermione smiled fondly at her friends. 

“Obviously they’re Padfoot and Prongs. I’m guessing those are your Dad’s nicknames?”

“Well, yes. But Padfoot is actually Sirius’ nickname. That’s the whole ‘taking back the name’ thing.” Hannah said with a blush, suddenly feeling like it might be slightly weird that she was taking the nickname of a mass murderer instead of her loving father’s. Her friends didn’t seem to feel the same way though and she smiled as they went on like nothing was out of the ordinary. 

“We want you to be Moony, Hermione.” Harry said with a smile and Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. Ron snorted. 

“He’s the bloke who kept telling us to put the map away and read a book, isn’t he? That’s fitting.” 

Hannah punched him in the arm playfully and looked over at Hermione who was smiling. 

“Yeah, okay. I like Moony.” she said and Harry grinned over at Ron, who did not seem to realize what name he was left with. 

“So you’ll be Wormtail then,” he said as he clapped Ron on the shoulder. “Great so we’re all in agreement about that-” 

“No way! I don’t want to be Wormtail!” Ron exclaimed. 

“It makes sense though.” Hannah said nervously. She didn’t want Ron to feel bad about his nickname. There were four of them and they fit perfectly! Hermione was a lot like Remus and Harry was practically a carbon copy of James. Hannah was going to rewrite who Padfoot was before and though that left Ron at a disadvantage… she didn’t want him to feel bad or left out. Hannah really liked Ron, just as much as she liked Hermione and Harry and she felt slightly mad that he was left with this nickname. Why on earth would her parents nickname someone ‘Wormtail’... 

“How is that possibly fitting?” Ron said with an offended look. 

“You have Scabbers.” Harry said reasonably. It was true. Ron’s chubby rat sat on top of the small pile of records Hannah had emptied from her bag when they first arrived, fast asleep. The quartet looked over at the rat and grimaced. He really wasn’t a pleasant pet. 

“I don’t want to be known for that fat bastard!” Ron said indignantly and Hermione made a noise in between a cough and a sneeze to hide her laughter. Ron didn’t notice. 

“Okay, bad example. But remember when we were trying to get into the map, Wormtail was the most helpful one. He wasn’t blabbering like the other three- minus Moony of course.” Hannah said when Hermione looked offended. 

“Well, he did get a little excited occasionally.” Harry said with a grin.

“Beside the point. Wormtail kept his head on his shoulders even when he was talking to his best friend’s two kids. He gave directions and set the rest of them on track. I don’t think we would’ve gotten into the map if it wasn’t for him.” 

Harry nodded, seeing where she was going with this. 

“Remember when we were running from Filch after the duel with Malfoy? You’re the one that actually looked where we were running and reminded us to get back to Gryffindor Tower when we stopped. You two are alike in keeping us together.” he said kindly and Ron looked a bit happier. Hermione smiled at him before putting her piece in. 

“They’re right, Ron. You keep your head on your shoulders when we’re in trouble, without you, I honestly don’t think we would’ve gotten away from Filch. And though I stand by my opinion that we never should’ve been out there in the first place…” Hermione grinned as her three friends groaned and rolled their eyes. “You got us back. And I totally agree that it’s an ugly nickname. I have no idea why anyone would call themselves that but… you should take it either way. 

Ron looked significantly happier after Hermione’s contribution and grinned around at all his friends before saying, fine. He’d be Wormtail. They cheered and Hannah made them all get their water bottles out like she had when Harry had first been made seeker. She grinned around at them when they waited with their metal bottles in the air for her toast. 

“To the new marauders.” she said with a grin and they all smiled back before taking a drink and packing up their stuff in time for Charms. They ran into class excited; in the last lesson they had with Professor Flitwick, he’d announced they were going to be making objects fly during their next class, right before making Neville’s toad zoom around the classroom. They filed into seats and Professor Flitwick put them in partners, pairing Ron and Hermione, Hannah and Seamus, and Harry and Dean. Dean, Harry, Seamus, and Hannah all exchanged a look before switching partners behind Professor Flitwick’s back so Dean and Seamus were together and Hannah and Harry. Not that they didn’t like each other, they just preferred it this way. They looked up as Professor Flitwick began teaching. 

“Now, remember it’s all in the swish and flick movement I showed you yesterday.” he squeaked as he looked around at his class. “Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too. Never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said ‘s’ instead of ‘f’ and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest.” 

Hannah and Hermione quickly earned points for their house when after a few failed attempts they made their feathers levitate in the air. Hannah grinned, remembering how much faster her levitation spell had been this morning when she’d shot it up Draco’s nose. Harry and Ron were less successful, and Hannah and Hermione were designated with the task of helping them move their feathers. It probably would’ve worked better if Hannah was paired with Ron and Harry with Hermione, but since they were the opposite way around, Harry was nervous and too aware when Hannah touched his hand to guide his wand movement, and Ron was embarrassed that he hadn’t already gotten it done. 

_“Wingardium Leviosa!”_ Ron shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill and almost removing the eye of the small Hufflepuff, Hannah Abbott, who had the misfortune of sitting behind him. 

“You’re saying it wrong,” Hermione snapped impatiently. Ron did not seem to want to take any of her advice and it was becoming very frustrating, watching him screw up his face in concentration only to almost chuck his wand across the room. “It’s Wing- _gar_ -dium Levi- _o_ -sa, make the ‘gar’ nice and long.” 

“You got lucky the first time.” Ron snarled and Hannah and Harry shared an exasperated look. Clean-up after this wasn’t going to be fun. “Do it again, since you’re so clever.” Hannah sighed as Hermione raised her wand with a determined look on her face. She had no idea why Ron ever challenged Hermione about anything academic. He just set himself up to fail and then pout when Hermione did whatever he deemed ‘impossible’ to do. It was annoying and Hermione always gloated a bit too much to still be friendly. Hannah and Harry both had fantasized about picking up whatever was nearest and chucking it at them when they partook in their small not-so-friendly competitions. 

_“Wingardium Leviosa!”_ Hermione cried with far much more flare than her last time. Their feather rose quickly off the desk and hovered all the way up to the ceiling. Most people had only been able to get it a few feet above their desk at that point. 

“Oh, well done!” cried tiny Professor Flitwick from his desk. He clapped and encouraged all the other students to join him. Hannah felt their happy evening of the Halloween feast and friendly games of chess slip away as Ron’s ears turned redder and redder. Ron and Hermione made it to the end of class, bickering and snapping at each other nastily all the way. When Professor Flitwick released them, Ron stood up immediately and almost ran to the door where Hannah and Harry were waiting for them. Thinking Hermione was still over at the desk and had not risen just as fast as he had to get out of the classroom, he leaned over to Harry and Hannah with a furious look on his face. 

“She’s a nightmare, honestly. Now I know why she hasn’t got any other friends.” He snarled nastily as he walked them out the door, and Hannah planted her feet to the ground of the crowded corridor, and stared openmouthed at her friend, shocked that he would say such a thing. Suddenly from behind them, Hermione knocked into Harry as she passed her friends and disappeared into the crowd. Harry was sure he’d seen tears running down her face. Hannah was still staring open-mouthed at her redhaired friend who now looked very guilty, as he’d seen the tears too. Finally, she came to her senses and shoved Ron hard. Hours of swinging a beater’s bat made Hannah relatively strong for someone her size and she was pleased when Ron stumbled back a few steps, obviously shocked at the level of power behind the shove. Honestly, Ron was lucky Hannah liked him so much. Her temper was rising very fast and if it had been anyone else making Hermione cry, they probably would’ve gotten more than a push. 

“What the bloody hell is wrong with you?” she shouted at him and when he remained shocked and pale-faced, she growled in frustration before running off to find Hermione. Harry and Ron stood next to each other in silence for a few seconds, watching their short black-haired friend unconsciously shove much older people out of her way as she searched for Hermione. 

“I didn’t mean to…” Ron started and then stared at his feet when Harry turned disapproving green eyes at him. 

“I know she can be annoying, but she’s still our friend. And for good reason.” Harry said as he picked up Hannah’s bag that she’d dramatically thrown to the ground and started leading the way to their next class, Transfiguration. “You should apologize when she comes back.” 

“Yeah, I will. I didn’t mean to say that, honestly. I just got mad. She’s brilliant.” Ron said as he studied his frayed bookbag while they waited outside Professor McGonagall’s classroom. Harry just nodded his approval and changed the subject to the Halloween feast, pleased when Ron’s face lit up, relieved that he was talking to him. Back around the Charms corridor, Hannah opened the door to the girl’s bathroom and immediately heard her friend’s sad sniffles coming from one of the stalls. 

“Moony? You alright?” Hannah asked nervously as she stepped in the bathroom, looking around for any other students. They were alone. Hannah heard Hermione try to hide her sniffling at the sound of her coming in. 

“Oh, yes. I’m fine.” Hermione said sadly, sounding like she had a bad head cold. Hannah snorted as she stepped up to the stall her friend’s voice was coming from. 

“No, you’re not,” she said and Hermione remained silent. “Look, Ron’s a prat when he’s mad. He didn’t mean it-” 

“He meant it.”

“I promise you he didn’t. You should’ve seen his face after he saw you crying.” 

“That shouldn’t be his motivation to not make me cry.” 

“Oh, I know it shouldn’t. And it won’t be after this. He’s gonna give a nice, long, heartfelt apology or he’s gonna have my foot so far up his ass he’ll be tasting rubber for a week.” Hannah said with a grin. Hermione made a funny noise between a laugh and a sob. 

“Come on out, Mione.” Hannah said with a sigh as she knocked softly on the bathroom door her friend was hiding behind. 

“I just… I want to be alone right now.” Hermione said sadly. 

“Transfiguration is in a few minutes-”

“Take notes for me, please. Tell Professor McGonagall that I’m not feeling well if she asks.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes.” Hannah sighed as she studied the door that remained shut in her face. She understood wanting to be alone and have a good cry though, so she promised Hermione that she'd take notes for her and walked over to the door. 

“Hey, Padfoot?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Thanks for sticking up for me. And I really do like the nicknames, by the way.” Hannah grinned at the stall door. 

“Always, Moony. I’ll be back after Transfiguration.”

“Okay.” 

Hannah walked out of the bathroom and made it to the Transfiguration Hall just in time, hoping that Harry or Ron had thought to pick her bag up. She really needed to stop flinging things to the ground when she got angry. Hannah smiled as she walked up to the small line of Gryffindors standing by Minerva’s classroom and saw Harry holding her bag out to her, an awkward grin on his face. Hannah took it and looked over with an icy glare as Ron spoke.

“Hannah I’m-”

“It’s not me you should be apologizing to, Ron.” Hannah said and Ron shrunk back against the wall, scanning the corridor for Hermione.

“I know, and I’m going to apologize to her as well. I was just going to say I’m sorry I spoke without thinking. Hermione’s brilliant and I’ll tell her that when she comes back. Er… where is she?” He said as he craned his neck some more, like she might be hiding behind a painting. 

“She’s in the bathroom. Just needs some time alone.” Hannah said. Ron looked very worried now as he ran his long fingers around the edges of his frayed bag, unconsciously untangling the strings. Hannah took pity on him and sighed. 

“It’s alright, Wormtail. You can apologize when she comes back for the feast and I’m sure she’ll accept it." Ron smiled sheepishly. 

“You know, the nickname isn’t really that bad.” He said and Harry clapped him on the back with a grin as Minerva opened the door to her classroom and told them to come in. When they walked in, Hannah took a seat next to Neville and Ron took Hannah’s usual seat. Harry frowned but said nothing, as he did not mind sitting with Ron, he just wondered why Hannah wasn’t sitting with him like she normally did. He over-thought for the rest of the class period and when she dismissed them, Harry realized he’d done practically nothing. Hannah picked up her notes and grinned at Ron and Harry before telling them she was going to get Hermione and would meet them in the Great Hall. The two boys smiled and waved her off, and Hannah set out to the bathroom, opening the door and being surprised to find Hermione still sitting in the stall, saying she didn’t want to come out.

“But the feast-” 

“Save me a bit of pumpkin pie, will you?” 

Hannah sighed and walked out to the Great Hall, sad that her friend wasn’t going to be joining her for the feast. Ron was even more upset about this, causing him to only half-heartedly stuff his food down his throat, lacking his usual flare. Despite the mood of the trio, the Great Hall looked beautiful. A thousand live bats flew from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles inside the pumpkins that floated above their heads flutter. The feast was magnificent, with food that matched the bar of the Sorting’s feast. Hannah grabbed different things she thought Hermione might like and stuffed them in a napkin in her robes. After a few helpings of food, the three friends' moods started to improve regardless of their missing partner, and they chatted happily amongst each other. Harry was just helping himself to a second baked potato while telling Ron that maybe Hannah got mad so easily because her body was too small to handle regular sized people’s emotions, earning him a spoonful of peas in his hair, when Professor Quirrel came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared at him with curious expressions as he reached Professor Dumbledore’s chair, slumped against the table, and gasped. 

“Troll… in the dungeons… thought you ought to know.” he panted before slumping against the floor, unconscious. There was an immediate uproar among the students, everyone standing up out of their seats and trying to reach the door. Hannah, Harry, and Ron bunched up next to each other as they were pushed and shoved around by their colleges. 

“Did you hear that? A troll! Let’s go find it!”

“Padfoot, no!” 

Their short conversation was interrupted by several large purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore’s wand, bringing silence almost immediately. 

“Prefects,” he rumbled, his voice magnified by magic to be heard by the entire hall. “Lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!” he finished and Ron groaned as Percy ran up to the front of the large group of Gryffindors, ordering people around in a loud, bossy voice, completely in his element. 

“Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I’m a prefect!” 

“How could a troll get in?” Harry asked as they climbed the stairs. 

“Don’t ask me, they’re supposed to be really stupid.” Ron said. 

“Probably just Goyle’s Dad visiting.” Hannah said with a grin as her friends snickered. They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry froze where he was and Hannah, who had her head turned while talking to Ron, ran directly into him. 

“Sorry.” Harry mumbled as he reached out a hand and helped his friend off the floor. “But I’ve just thought- Hermione.” 

Ron and Hannah paled and cursed themselves for not thinking of her sooner as they ducked through the large group of Hufflepuffs that were headed towards the kitchens. Running down a deserted hallway, Hannah pulled the marauder’s map out of her bag and flipped it open, mumbling a ‘I solemnly swear that I am up to no good’ as they ducked towards the Charms corridor. They stopped for a second and looked at the map, sure enough, Hermione was inside the small bathroom she’d been in since earlier that day. They were running towards it, hoping to duck in and inform her of what was going on and make it back to Gryffindor Tower before anyone noticed, when they heard quick footsteps behind them. 

“Percy!” Ron hissed as he grabbed his two shorter friends by the neck of their robes and ducked behind a large stone griffin. Hannah stuck her head around it and frowned when she saw not Percy, but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view. Above her, Harry was having the same thoughts she was. 

“What’s he doing? Why isn’t he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?” 

“Search me.” Ron said with a shrug. Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape’s footsteps. 

“Ugh, look at him walk.” Hannah said, her lip curling in disgust. “Like if you gave an eyeliner smudge a pair of legs and told it to do it’s best.” Ron snickered as Harry remained serious. 

“He’s headed for the third floor.” He said but quickly quieted as Ron held up a hand. 

“Can you smell something?” he asked, a nervous expression on his face. Harry and Hannah sniffed the air and a foul stench met their noses, like a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean. The trio froze as they heard low grunting noises and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron unnecessarily pointed towards the end of the passageway, where something huge was moving toward them. They shrank back into the shadows as the troll emerged. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite grey, while it's great lumpy body was built like a giant boulder with a small bald head perched on top like a coconut. Hannah vividly remembered being younger and having Remus read her a bedtime story, laughing when he described the troll in the fable as ‘even stinkier than your feet!’. Hannah now took note of his extreme understatement as the full-on smell hit her and made her want to kneel over on the floor and bury her head in her robes. 

“That’s definitely Goyle’s Dad alright…” Hannah mumbled under her breath and both her friends seemed too shocked to do anything but stare. The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled it’s long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room. Hannah felt panic rise in her throat as she recognized exactly which room it was. 

“The key’s in the lock,” Harry muttered. “We could lock it in.” 

“Good idea.” Ron said nervously. Hannah almost gave herself whiplash looking back and forth from the girl’s bathroom door and her two clueless friends. 

“No, you idiots! Not a good idea-” Hannah's words were drowned by a high petrified scream that echoed from the bathroom. 

_“Hermione!”_ The trio yelled in unison as they ran towards the girl's bathroom. Inside, they immediately saw Hermione shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went. 

“Confuse it!” Harry yelled at his friends as he, always the best idea-man, seized a tap and threw it as hard as he could against the wall. The troll stopped a few feet away from Hermione and lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes settled on Harry and made for him instead, lifting its club as it went. Hannah and Ron both acted at the same time from opposite sides of the room, Ron grabbing a pipe and Hannah a tap, chucking them at the troll while yelling… 

“Oy, pea-brain!” 

“Hey, asshole!” 

The troll didn’t seem to notice the pipe or the tap hitting it, but he heard both yells and whipped his head back and forth between them, giving Harry time to dart past it and make for Hermione. Unfortunately for Ron, the troll liked his bright red hair and made for him, leaving Hannah to shout undignified things at the back of the trolls head while chucking whatever she could get her hands on at it. 

“Come on, run, run!” Harry yelled at Hermione when he made it to her, trying to pull her towards the door, but she didn’t move, just pressed herself flat against the wall, her mouth open in terror. After hearing Hannah's yelling, the troll turned back to her and Ron started shouting and throwing things instead, and the two confused the troll by going back and forth, quickly driving it berserk. It roared and started towards Ron, ignoring Hannah’s unkind words, who was nearest and had no way to escape. Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: he took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll’s neck from behind. The troll probably wouldn’t have been able to feel Harry hanging there, but he definitely felt Harry’s wand as it had been in his hand when he’d jumped and had gone straight up one of the troll’s nostrils. It howled with pain, twisting and flailing its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life. Hermione sunk further towards the floor and Hannah searched her pockets for her wand, only to spot it across the room, as it had been thrown there by her when the troll had first ran at Ron and she’d gotten mad and panicked. She _really_ needed to stop doing that. Ron pulled out his own wand and, not knowing what he was going to do, he heard himself cry the first spell that came to his mind. 

_“Wingardium Leviosa!”_

The club flew suddenly out of the troll’s hand, rose high, high up into the air, turkey slowly over… and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner’s head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble. Hermione spoke first. 

“Is it… dead?” she said in a shaky voice as she pulled herself off the floor. 

“I don’t think so, I think it’s just been knocked out.” Harry said as he bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll’s nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue. 

“Urgh… troll boogers.” he said with a grossed-out expression and proceeded to wipe his wand on the troll’s trousers. 

“Harry… that jump…” Hannah said with wide eyes as she steadied her breath, “coolest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.” 

“Agreed.” Ron said in a voice that was maybe a few octaves higher than it normally was. Harry beamed at the both of them. A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the four marauders look up. They hadn’t realized what a racket they’d been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and troll’s roars. A moment later, Minerva came bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart. Snape bent over the troll as Minerva looked back and forth between Hannah, Harry, and Ron. Hannah had never seen her this angry. Hannah had never actually seen Minerva’s anger directed at her, just mild irritation. The effect made Hannah back up several steps and try to do the ‘puppy-dog’ eyes her father often accused her of using. She hoped it would work against Minerva too. 

“What on earth were you thinking of?” Minerva said, her voice shaking with fury. So, puppy dog eyes would not work on her. Lesson learned. “You’re lucky you weren’t killed. Why aren’t you in your dormitory?” she said, looking back and forth between the trio. Hannah glanced over at Ron and saw he still had his wand in the air. The picture made her want to laugh and she cursed herself once again for always finding these situations humorous. Next to her, Harry just wished Ron would put his wand down. A small voice came out of the shadows. 

“Please, Professor McGonagall… they were looking for me.” 

“Miss Granger!” 

“I went looking for the troll because I… I thought I could deal with it on my own. You know, because I’ve read all about them.” 

Ron finally dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher? 

“If they hadn’t found me, I’d be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose, Hannah distracted it, and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn’t have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived.” 

The other three tried to look like this wasn’t new to them. 

“Well… in that case…” Minerva said, now staring at all four of them. “Ms. Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?” 

Hermione hung her head. The other three friends were speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets. 

“Ms. Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this. I’m very disappointed in you. If you’re not hurt at all, you’d better get off to Gryffindor Tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses.” Minerva said and watched Hermione leave while shaking her head before turning to Harry, Ron, and Hannah. 

“Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go.” 

Hannah walked over and picked her wand up off the floor, ignoring Snape’s sneer. As she bent down, she saw blood dripping out of his pant leg and she looked up at him, a curious expression on her face. His face curled into a mean snarl and he nodded his head at her and told her to get along. Hannah scooped up her wand and walked over to Ron and Harry, who had waited at the door for her. She informed them of Snape’s injury as they made their way back to the common room. 

“Probably had something to do with where he was headed while a giant troll was roaming the halls.” Ron said. 

“The third corridor! He was going to that dog!” Harry exclaimed. 

“Why would he be-” Hannah’s question was cut off as she saw Hermione standing just out of sight at the end of the hallway. Hermione smiled awkwardly as she walked up to them and Ron cleared his throat. Hannah and Harry made eye contact and grinned, both wishing they could disappear and not have to be here for this exchange. 

“Hermione, I’m sorry for what I said earlier.” Ron started and Hannah had to dig her fingernails into her hand to keep from laughing when she noticed Ron had made his voice slightly deeper for this moment. “It was stupid, I was mad, and I didn’t mean it. You’re a great friend and anyone would be lucky to have you… as a friend.” He finished awkwardly, and then, even worse, walked over and hugged Hermione. Hannah saw her friend’s eyes widen over Ron’s shoulder and had absolutely no control over the laugh that escaped her then. Blushing furiously, Ron and Hermione broke apart and scowled at Hannah and Harry, who were both practically crying. 

“Shut it, you two.” Ron mumbled and his friends managed to turn the howling laughter down to a few snickers as they walked up to Gryffindor Tower. They ate the rest of the feast, Hannah remembering the small amount of food she’d saved for Hermione in her pocket, and sticking her hand in to get it only to bring out a handful of pumpkin pie mush. 

“When did I smush it?” Hannah said in a hurt voice as the other three roared with laughter. The four friends laughed and ate for the rest of the night, playing friendly games of chess and going to bed far too late for four people that just fought a fully grown mountain troll. 

**

_Dear Hannah’s Dad,_

_I’m Harry, we met on the platform. I just wanted to say thank you for sending the pictures of my parents. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble. I know I’m a little late but, thanks anyway. Also thank you for the invitation to stay over the summer. I really hope I can, I’m sure my Aunt and Uncle won’t mind._

_With love,_

_Harry_

Remus smiled at Harry’s messy handwriting. He’d been very confused when a bright white snowy owl flew in through his window and dropped the letter on his lap, and even more confused when he’d opened it and saw who it was from. Now Remus had to hold back tears as he studied the letter. It was the sort of thing Lily would’ve done at his age. He supposed the lateness was just James’ input. Remus stood and walked upstairs to his study, placing the letter in a small folder labeled ‘year one’ where he kept all of Hannah’s letters. It was what his mother had done for him, and Lyall told him that in the last few days of her life, she’d sat with her folders of his old letters spread across her bed, smiling as she read. Remus always treasured that particular memory of his mother, even though he’d only heard about it from his father. He always liked the idea of doing it for Hannah, and it only seemed right to include Harry in that category as well. 

Remus walked out of his study and back downstairs, clutching a cane with one hand and steadying himself on the railing of the stairs with his other hand. He hated that he had to use a cane after his moons, but if he wanted to walk around it was a necessity. He'd managed to keep his job at the small publishing company, his boss completely accepted his story of a random sickness that flared up at unpredictable times without question, and called far too many times to check on Remus during the day. Andy had laughed uncontrollably when he told her this, insisting his boss had a ‘crush’ on him. Remus teased her about the use of such a childish word and shivered at the thought of his ginormous boss wanting to shag him. He made it downstairs and set back in his chair, pulling out ‘The Dark Forces’ and going back to his marked page, managing to concentrate over the sound of the type of music Hannah didn’t like to listen to on his record. He stretched his long legs up on the ottoman and grabbed his cup of tea, sipping at it occasionally while flipping through pages. Remus still missed Hannah just as much as she missed him, but over the months he’d sunken into a routine he did not hate, spending time with Andy and Ted at least two times a week and making enough money to pay for all the bills and food in the house while still having some to spare to buy himself a couple of used books. Remus didn’t allow himself to think about why his small pile of used books sat untouched on the coffee table while he read the small, black, Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook instead, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the handwriting on the title page as he read. Remus hadn’t thought about Sirius for a few weeks, his transformations hadn't been that hard on him lately and he was healing faster. So it was best if he allowed himself this small touch every now and then and didn’t make himself think about it. It was comforting, and what was wrong with that? 

Remus looked over his book and towards the small calendar on the fridge that he had just the slightest view of from his seat. Less than a month and Hannah would be home for Christmas. Remus smiled to himself as he turned back to his worn book.

**

The Quidditch season had begun. The weather turned very cold and the mountains around the school became icy gray while the lake froze like chilled steel. They could no longer sit out comfortably in their spot by the forest, so they’d taken to crowding around Harry and Ron’s shared window in the boy’s dormitory, playing music and staying warm while doing homework. Dean, Seamus, and Neville seemed to enjoy the music as well and almost always made their way up to the dorm when they saw Hannah and Hermione climbing the steps with their school bags. Their talk often turned to quidditch, as Harry’s first match against Slytherin would be taking place on Saturday. Harry was very nervous and his friends had different ways of encouraging him. Hermione would spew facts from a book she’d read about Quidditch matches or kindly offer to finish off his homework if he had practice or was simply just stressing enough already. Ron’s way was more physical, like how his discovery of the kitchens on the marauder’s map would lead to him storing Harry's favorite treats around the dorm and handing them to Harry wordlessly when he came back from a particularly hard practice or flipping off jeering Slytherins in the hallways. Hannah was a mix of the two, spilling odd information about the other team’s players to encourage him that he was better or letting him pick the records to put on during their study sessions, which was something she held very dear to her heart. Harry did not miss his friend’s encouragement and his heart swelled when one of them did something to help. One night, when Harry laid out on his bed rubbing his eyes while Hermione finished off his potions essay, Ron threw bits of chocolate cake over to him, and Hannah suffered through more Zeppelin than any one person should ever be expected to, he complained loudly about the Slytherins that tripped him up in the hallway just a few hours before. 

“I mean, Wood decided that I was like a ‘secret weapon’ or whatever. No one was supposed to know! And now I’ve got Slytherins whispering bad jokes in my ear all day.” 

Hannah snorted from the ground. “Please, if Malfoy didn’t run outside and hide under the Quidditch pitch bleachers as soon as he found out about your Nimbus, I’m a Hippogriff.” 

Ron coughed up his cake and Hermione giggled. 

“I can totally see him doing that.” Hermione said with a smile. Ron’s cake finally went down the right way and he looked up at his friends. 

“Oh my god, Pads. Imagine him running and sitting underneath the bleachers right after what happened with Flitwick and just fucking waiting.” he said with a laugh and Hannah giggled back. 

“Swear! He’s just sitting with a notepad, ‘the Pottah boy can’t see me here’.” Hannah said in a perfect impression of Draco and the other four roared with laughter. They all laughed and then each took turns showing off their impressions of their least favorite Shytherins until Hermione got bored and stood. 

“Prongs, I forgot to tell you, I got you this book at the library the other day.” she said as she pulled a small red book out of her bag and handed it to Harry. It was called ‘Quidditch Through the Ages’ and Harry thanked his friend for thinking of him before sticking his nose in it and being unusually quiet for the rest of their study session. He read about the seven hundred different ways to commit a Quidditch foul, about seekers being the smallest and fastest players, and about how though people rarely died playing Quidditch, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert. Harry liked the book so much, he took to carrying it around with him wherever he went. Unfortunately, that meant the small book was in his hands the day before his Quidditch match as the four friends waited for their next class to start in the freezing courtyard. Hermione managed to conjure them up a bright blue flame that could be carried around in a jam jar and they crowded around it to stay warm. Hannah looked up to see Snape crossing the yard, and made a disgusted noise as he walked over to them. They all moved closer to the small jam jar to block it from view, as they were not sure it was allowed. He walked over and they noticed the very strong limp in his leg, exchanging suspicious glances at each other as he stepped up to them. Snape didn’t see the small blue flame behind them but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway. 

“What’s that you’ve got there, Potter?” he snarled and Harry held up Quidditch Through the Ages. 

“Library books are not to be taken outside the school. Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor.” Snape snatched the book from Harry and raised an eyebrow at Hannah, who was biting down on her lip hard to keep her from yelling. As he limped away, Harry turned back to his friends.

“He’s just made that up. And his leg’s still hurt, wonder what’s wrong with it?” 

“Dunno, but I hope it’s really hurting him.” Ron said bitterley and Hannah snorted. 

“What do you think my chances are of kicking him in it and not getting expelled?”

“Little to none.” Hermione sighed. Harry turned to her.

“Sorry about your book, Moony. I’ll get it back.” he said and she smiled at him and assured him it was fine, but later that evening he was crawling out of the portrait hole, on his way to ask Snape for the book back as he’d been unable to sit and watch Hannah and Ron slowly become more and more ruthless in their chess game without it. He made his way down to the staff room and knocked, to no answer. He knocked again. Nothing. Perhaps Snape had left the book inside? It was worth a try. He pushed the door open and stuck his head in to peer around, quickly noticing the horrible scene that met his eyes. Snape and Filch were inside, alone. Snape was holding his robes above his knees and Filch was handing Snape bandages to wrap around his bloody and mangled leg. 

“Blasted thing, how are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?” Snape snarled as he wrapped his leg in the cotton bandages. Harry tried to shut the door quietly, but as he’d all but flung it open, Snape spotted him immediately. 

“POTTER!” he shouted as he dropped his robes to cover his leg. Harry gulped. 

“I just wondered if I could have my book back.” 

“GET OUT! OUT!” 

Harry did not ask twice and he quickly backed away and shut the door behind him, sprinting back to Gryffindor Tower before Snape could stick his ugly head out of the staff room and take points off Gryffindor. 

“Did you get it?” Ron asked as Harry flung himself back in his chair once he reached the common room. 

“What’s the matter?” Hannah said, looking up from her game to take in the sight of Harry breathless in his chair. Harry told them about what he’d seen in a low whisper. 

“You know what this means? He tried to get past that three headed dog at Halloween! That’s where he was going when we saw him… he’s after whatever it’s guarding! And I’d bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!” Harry said and Ron and Hannah both nodded encouragingly as Hermione’s eyes grew wide and she shook her head. 

“No… he wouldn’t. I know he’s not very nice, but he wouldn’t try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe. 

“Honestly, Moony, you think all teachers are saints. I’m with Prongs. I wouldn’t put anything past Snape. But what’s he after? What’s that dog guarding?” Ron said and the four friends theorized widely about what it was but came to no real conclusion, and Harry went to bed that night with his head buzzing. The next morning, the Great Hall was full of good-smelling breakfast and excited chatter for the Quidditch match. The four friends did not join in on the talking as they normally did, instead they crowded around Harry and attempted to get him to eat something. 

“You’ve got to eat some breakfast.” Ron said.

“I don't want anything.” 

“Just a bit of toast.” Hermione encouraged. 

“I’m not hungry.” 

Hannah rolled her eyes and said nothing as she picked up a slice of toast and buttered it before spreading jam on the surface, just like Harry did every morning. Her friends watched her as she prepared it and took a bite before handing it to Harry with a smile. He did not know what else to do with this sentiment so he took the toast from her and ate the rest. Ron and Hermione raised eyebrows at their friend and Hannah grinned. It was what she did for her father when he didn’t eat much before his transformation. She found Remus thought it easier to eat when someone was sharing with him and she was happy to know it worked on Harry too. Around 11 o’clock, they made their way down to the Quidditch pitch with the rest of the Gryffindors, Harry breaking off to join his team in the locker room as Hannah, Ron, and Hermione made their way towards the bleachers. Hannah sighed jealousy as she watched Harry head towards the changing rooms with Fred and George. Hermione caught her eye and smiled before placing a hand on her back. 

“Next year, Padfoot.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” 

They climbed the bleachers and sat in the Gryffindor stands side by side, waiting for the match to start. As a surprise for Harry, they’d painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said ‘Potter for President’, and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Hermione then performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors. From the stands where the teachers sat, Snape sneered at the loud poster and Minerva raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to speak. He said nothing. Back in the locker room, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes. Everyone straightened as Wood cleared his throat for silence. 

“Okay, men.” he said. 

“And women.” the pretty dark-skinned chaser Angelina Johnson reminded him.

“And women.” Wood agreed. “This is it.” 

“The big one,” Fred said.

“The one we’ve all been waiting for.” George said. 

“We know Oliver’s speech by heart,” Fred told Harry. “We were on the team last year.”

“Shut up, you two.” Wood interrupted and George grinned at Harry as the twins turned back to their team captain. “This is the best team Gryffindor’s had in years. We’re going to win, I know it.” He glared around at all of them as if to say ‘or else’. 

“Right. It’s time. Good luck, all of you.” 

Harry followed Fred and George out of the locker room and onto the field. When his friends saw him, they screamed for his attention and beamed when he looked up and saw their banner. Harry’s heart skipped as he read 'Potter for President'. He felt braver. Hannah, Ron, Dean, Seamus, and Neville all cheered as loud as they could when Madame Hooch blew her whistle and fifteen brooms rose into the air. 

“And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor… what an excellent chaser that girl is, and rather attractive too-”

“JORDAN!” 

“Sorry, Professor.” 

The Weasley twins’ friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall. Over in the stands, Hannah and Ron laughed at Lee as Hermione rolled her eyes. 

“And she’s really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good friend of Oliver Wood’s, last year on the team, back to Johnson and… no, the Slytherins have taken the quaffle, Slytherin captain Marcus Flint gains the quaffle and off he goes… Flint flying like an eagle up there… he’s going to sc- no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the quaffle… that’s chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and… OUCH… that must’ve hurt, hit in the back of the head by a bludger… quaffle taken by Slytherin.... that’s Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he’s blocked by a second bludger, sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can’t tell which… nice play by the Gryffindor beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes… she’s really flying… dodges a speeding bludger… the goal posts are ahead… come on, now, Angelina… keeper Bletchley dives… misses… GRYFFINDOR’S SCORE!” 

Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins. Hannah was jumping up and down to see over Hermione’s bushy hair but as she knew how her friend felt about it, she said nothing. Ron looked over at his short friend and smiled before leaning down and letting her climb up on his back to see, immediately regretting it when Gryffindor scored again and Hannah screamed directly into his ear. 

“Budge up there, move along.” said a voice from behind them. 

“Hagrid!” 

The trio moved over to give Hagrid enough space to join them. 

“Bin watchin’ from me hut.” Hagrid said as he patted the large pair of binoculars around his neck. “But it isn’t the same as bein’ in the crowd. No sign of the snitch yet, eh?” 

“Nope.” Hannah said from Ron’s back. 

“Harry hasn’t had much to do yet.” Ron added. 

“Kept outta trouble, though, that’s somethin’.” Hagrid said as he raised his binoculars to the small speck that was Harry. He flew over the game, squinting about for some sign of the snitch. This was part of his and Wood’s plan, to keep out of the way until he caught sight of the snitch so he wouldn't be attacked before he had to be. Hannah cheered unnecessarily as Harry dodged a bludger. 

“Merlin, Lupin, you don’t have to cheer every time he moves.” Seamus said with a grin that grew wider as Hannah turned and cheered louder in his face. 

“GO PRONGS! FUCK THAT BLUDGER!” Hannah screamed and Hagrid spluttered and told her to watch her language, hiding a smile under his thick beard. 

“Slytherin in possession,” Lee Jordan said from his stand. “Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and chaser Bell, and speeds towards the… wait a moment… was that the snitch?” 

Harry had seen in seconds before and dove downwards toward the speck of gold. His friends cheered him on from the bleachers, Hagrid now blissfully ignoring Hannah’s colorful language, as the Slytherin seeker Terence Higgs pushed up next to Harry and neck to neck they raced for the tiny ball. Harry was faster than Higgs and he could hear his friend’s screams from the stands, motivating him further. He reached a hand out towards the ball…

WHAM!

A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below as Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, sending him spinning off course, holding on for dear life. 

“Foul!” The Gryffindors screamed collectively. Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. In all the confusion, the snitch disappeared from sight. In the stands, Dean was yelling with the rest of his friend group.

“Send him off, ref! Red card!” 

“What are you talking about, Dean?” Ron asked over Hannah’s loud jeers of ‘cheating bastard’ and many other more creative terms that had Hermione covering her ears in protest with a grin on her face as she laughed at her friend. 

“Red card!” Dean said furiously. “In soccer you get shown the red card and you’re out of the game!” 

“But this isn’t soccer, Dean.” Ron reminded him. Hagrid, however, was on Dean’s side. 

“They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air.” 

Over in the commentator’s stand, Lee was finding it difficult not to take sides. 

“So… after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating-” 

“Jordan!” Minerva growled. 

“I mean, after that open and revolting foul-” 

_“Jordan, I’m warning you-”_

“Alright, alright. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor seeker, which could happen to anyone, I’m sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue to play, Gryffindor still in possession. Slytherin in possession… flint with the quaffle… passes Spinnet, passes Bell, hit hard in the face with a bludger, hope it broke his nose.... only joking, professor… Sytherins score… damn…” 

The Slytherins cheered as the Gryffindor’s groaned. Hannah looked up at Harry and frowned, as he bucked on his broom and almost fell off. Next to her, Hagrid voiced her thoughts.

“Dunno what Harry thinks he’s doing. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he’d lost control of his broom… but he can’t have.” 

All around the stands, people were starting to notice Harry’s odd movements, pointing up and gaping as his broom started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped and Hannah’s heart jumped in her chest as Harry’s broom gave a wild jerk and he swung off it. He dangled hundreds of feet off the ground by one hand. 

“Someone go fly under him!” Hannah yelled and Ron shouted his agreement. They watched as the twins flew over to him, having to stop nervously under him as every time they got close to the broom it jerked away, threatening to throw Harry completely off. 

“Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?” Seamus whispered. 

“Can’t have.” Hagrid said, his voice shaking. “Can’t nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful dark magic… no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand.” At his words, Hermione seized his binoculars and, instead of looking up at Harry, searched the crowd frantically. 

“What are you doing?” moaned Ron.

“I knew it,” Hermione gasped, “Snape, look.” 

“Let me see.” Hannah said as she jumped off Ron’s back and peered through the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath. Hannah gasped and handed the binoculars to Ron as Hermione spoke. 

“He’s doing something… jinxing the broom.”

“What do we do?” Ron muttered as he took his eyes away from the binoculars. 

“We distract him, obviously!” Hannah said as she leaned as far out of the stands as she could without falling and screamed.

“HEY, ASSHOLE!”

Hermione hissed angrily at Hannah as she attempted to pull her back in the stands. 

“HEY, FUCK OFF! LOOK OVER HERE! WE’VE GOT FREE SHAMPOO!” Hannah screamed at the top of her lungs. 

“He can’t hear you, Padfoot.” Ron said as he checked through the binoculars. Hermione was still trying to make sure Hannah didn’t throw herself over the edge of the stands. 

“You’re not helping, Hannah! Stay here, I’ll take care of it.” Hermione said and before they could do anything else, she ran off. Hannah and Ron fought over the binoculars to look at Harry while Hermione fought her way across to the stands that held all the teachers, racing along the row behind Snape, not stopping to say sorry when she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front. Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered her signature blue-flame spell. It took about thirty seconds for Snape to realize he was on fire and when he did, she scooped it up into the little jar she kept in her pocket and scrambled back to the Gryffindor stands. Snape would never know what happened. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to swing himself back on his broom. The crowd cheered and Ron turned to Neville. 

“You can look now, Neville!” he said as his friend had been sobbing into Hagrid’s coat for the past five minutes. Harry was speeding towards the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth and thought he was about to be sick. Hannah yelped as he hit the field on all fours… coughed… and something gold fell into his hand.

“I’ve got the snitch!” he shouted, waving it above his head as the Slytherins protested and the other Houses cheered. Hannah, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, Dean, Seamus, and Neville all ran out on the field, screaming their approval as they approached their friend. 

“PRONGS THAT WAS THE BEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN!” Hannah yelled as she threw herself in her friend’s arms. Harry laughed as he caught her and kept the small fluttering ball clutched tightly in his hand. 

“That was bloody brilliant!”

“You could’ve died, Prongs!”

“Well done, mate!” 

“Congratulations, Harry!” 

Soon after the usual celebrations, Harry, Hannah, Ron, and Hermione all followed Hagrid back to his hut for a strong cup of tea to talk about the match. 

“It was Snape.” Ron explained. “We saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn’t take his eyes off you.” 

“It’s true, Harry. Hermione had to run over and light him on fire which, by the way Moony, was super awesome.” Hannah said with a grin. 

“Rubbish.” said Hagrid, who had been so panicked over Harry falling that he had not heard a word of the conversation in the stands. “Why would Snape do something like that?” 

The marauders exchanged a glance, wondering what to tell him. Harry decided on the truth. 

“I found out something about him. He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it’s guarding.”

Hagrid dropped the teapot.

“How do you know about Fluffy?”

 _“Fluffy?”_ Hannah looked up from rubbing Fang’s belly with a confused expression. 

“Yeah. He’s mine. Bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las’ year. I leant him to Dumbledore to guard the…”

“Yes?” Harry said eagerly and the other three friends smiled at Hagrid.

“Now, don’t ask me anymore.” He said gruffly. “That’s top secret, that is.” 

“But Snape’s trying to _steal_ it.” Ron said as his friends nodded along. 

“Rubbish.” Hagrid said again. “Snape’s a Hogwarts teacher, he’d do nothin’ of the sort.” 

“So why did he just try and kill Harry?” Hermione cried, now completely on their side about Snape. “I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid. I’ve read all about them! You’ve got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn’t blinking at all, I saw him!” 

“I’m tellin’ yeh, you’re wrong!” Hagrid said angrily. “I don’ know why Harry’s broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn’ try an’ kill a student! Now, listen to me, all four of yeah… yer meddlin’ in things that don’ concern yeh. It’s dangerous. You forget that dog, an’ you forget what it’s guardin’, that’s between Professor Dumbledore an’ Nicolas Flamel-” 

“Aha!” Harry cried, so excited he jumped out of his seat. “So there’s someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?” 

Hagrid looked furious with himself and pushed them out of his house a few moments later, still mumbling warnings under his breath. The quartet walked back to the common room, discussing who Nicolas Flamel was, and once they learned that none of them knew, they set up a plan to find out. 

“I think whatever we do,” Hannah said with a grin as she pulled the Marauder’s map out of her robe pocket. “this baby’s gonna come in handy.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Piece of My Heart by Janis Joplin and Big Brother and The Holding Company.


	9. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Holidays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the Philosopher's stone.  
> 

Christmas was upon them. The lake was now completely solid and the sky fluttered with bits of white snow that fell to the ground around the large group of rowdy Gryffindors currently engaged in a ruthless snowball fight. Hannah, Harry, Hermione, and Ron had woken up early to go downstairs and eat a big breakfast, rushed by Dean and Seamus, as Fred, George, Lee, and a few older Gryffindors were having a snowball fight and invited the first years to join. Hannah stuffed the small piece of toast in her mouth, pushed with the palm of her hand when it refused to fit, ignored Hermione’s noise of disgust, and grabbed her friend’s hand to drag her out to the courtyard upon hearing the news. She yelled a distorted ‘Prongs’ and “Wormtail’ over her shoulder and soon the marauders were throwing large piles of snow at each other, every man for himself. Hannah was very good, fearlessly jumping out and chucking balls of snow at her friends, not caring whether she got hit or not. She took a few people completely out of the game; a boy named Cormac McLaggen stormed out of the courtyard after being hit directly in the face with one of Hannah’s, snorting quite a bit of the icy snow up his nose and complaining loudly about first years being allowed to play as he walked off, even though he was only a second year. Hermione started off badly, taking a snowball to the back of the head by George, but turned out to be one of the best players, sneaking up behind people and covering them in icy sheets, not even bothering to ball the snow up, just shoving it down the unfortunate Gryffindor’s jacket or coat. Ron was okay, not afraid to get hit but had terrible aim and once as he went to throw a ball, let it slip backward out of his hand when he raised it above his head, causing many people to laugh. Harry was probably the worst out of all of them, with good aim but too scared of being hit, he hid under trees and only jumped out occasionally to throw a ball or two. The teasing comments did not seem to bother him as the game died out and he walked back over to his friends. Ron and Hermione were fruitlessly trying to warm themselves as they waited for Hannah to walk back to the castle with them. The marauder in question sat behind a bush with Fred and George, cackling like a mad man as the three of them bewitched snowballs so they followed Professor Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. 

They called her over when the twins got bored and made it back to their dormitories to change and then search the large stack of books they’d checked out from the library for some information on Nicolas Flamel. After throwing on warmer pajamas, Hannah shamelessly ran up to the boy's dormitory and plopped herself down on Harry’s bed, right next to him so they were shoulder to shoulder and she could read the words on the page of the book he was studying. One thing Harry had learned about Hannah, she had absolutely no concept of personal space. She’d grown up with Remus, a naturally cuddly person, and never thought it weird when she threw herself over her friends. Ron and Hermione didn’t mind it as much, as they’d been raised by loving parents as well and while they didn’t throw themselves around as Hannah did, they never said no to cuddling or being extremely close. Hermione only occasionally complained when she was doing homework and trying to concentrate, but as Harry had been raised by the Dursleys and never received so much as a hug from anyone but pitying teachers, Hannah being so close made his skin crawl. He’d gotten better about accepting her presence when she sat down in his lap or threw an arm around his shoulder after he’d seen she did it to everyone, although that discovery did lead to slight jealousy, he learned to steady his breathing and not overanalyze his every move. At that moment, however, he did instinctually move over slightly anyways, putting an inch or two between them and trying to ignore the confused look in Hannah’s eyes after noticing his movement. He cleared his throat. 

“This is…” Harry flipped over the book to read the title. “Notable Magical Names of Our Time. He’s not in here at all either.” 

Hannah sighed as she sat up and took the book for herself. 

“He can’t be a dark wizard, could he? I mean he’s working with Dumbledore, that’s what Hagrid said, but he’s in none of these books and Dumbledores in like, all of them. Maybe he’d be in the restricted section.” Hannah said, wiggling her eyebrows at the last suggestion. Hannah had been trying to get her friends to use the map for the restricted section ever since the first few books they’d tried out didn’t work. At this point, only Hermione still had her foot down. Harry and Ron were getting tired of looking. 

“Probably would be…” Ron said in a determinedly casual voice as he eyed Hermione, who had her lips pursed in a thin line. She sighed as she shut her book with a snap and looked up at her friends. 

“We are not going into the restricted section without permission. That’s a line I won’t cross, sorry.” She said in her trademark bossy voice. The others grinned at each other, pleased that they’d even gotten a response, as she’d taken to just not speaking to them when they brought it up. 

“Well, we’ll just have to get permission then, won’t we Moony?” Harry said in a cheerful voice and Hermione snorted. 

“Who would give us permission?” 

“Oh, Snape totally would,” Hannah said sarcastically, eyes wide. “He’s got a soft spot for us, you know. Let’s ask him tomorrow after potions.” 

“We’d have better luck asking the giant squid.” Ron snorted and Hannah looked thoughtful.

“Do you think he has that kind of authority? Because I’d totally take one for the team and go talk to-”

“Okay, this is getting ridiculous,” Hermione said as she flipped through the book she’d gone back to after Hannah suggested Snape for permission. “He’s got to be in here somewhere, and he can’t be a dark wizard if he’s working with Dumbledore.”

She flopped back onto Neville’s empty bed with a sigh. The library had never failed her before. Hermione looked up to see all her friends raising an eyebrow at her, asking the question without really asking it. Hermione just rolled her eyes and went back to her book. They could break curfew every night with the map as she knew they wouldn’t get caught, but breaking a library rule was much different. It was sacred! And there had to be more protection on the books than just a lock on the door. It was too dangerous... she just wished something would pop up with him in it. Harry kept swearing he heard the name before but no memories resurfaced as he read and Hermione gave up on him, thinking he must be mistaken.

The next morning the quartet walked to potions together, passing the sign-up sheet for students staying over the holiday as they walked. Hannah had been rather worried when she’d seen Harry write his name down, as she would be going home to her father and didn’t want Harry to be alone. Her worries turned out to be pointless though, as Ron walked up behind him and signed his name as well before informing them that his mother and father were going to Romania to visit Charlie so he and all his brothers would be staying at Hogwarts this year. Hannah nodded her approval while Hermione quizzed Ron on what Romania was like and what Charlie’s job included, even though he’d never been. She didn’t seem to care much and Hannah smiled at her friend as she continued to dodge Ron’s attitude and ask more questions. Hermione was going home to her family for Christmas as well, and they were both excited as their parents had started corresponding over the telephone and had agreed that Hermione could come over to the Lupin cottage during the last few days of break. Hannah was ecstatic to show Hermione Stardust, even though her friend claimed she’d rather die than get on it. They walked into the cold potions dungeon and took their usual seats, pairing up when Snape ordered them to; Ron with Hannah and Harry with Hermione, the new unspoken pairing ever since the 'wingardium leviosa' incident. Snape put his usual instructions on the board with a flick of his wand and then walked around to his desk to sit and glare at all his students. Hannah sighed as she heard Draco start to talk. She’d learned fairly quickly that Draco was allowed to say whatever he wanted in Snape’s class with little to no repercussions. After a long period of relentless bullying from the pair of them, walking out of the classroom and into the hallway, Draco bragged that it was because Snape knew and respected his father. Hannah turned and told him that it was more likely that he saw his hair and felt bad for him. Hannah was not allowed to say anything back to Draco’s comments during class, nor were her friends, without losing serious points for Gryffindor in the process. So when Draco filled the potion's classroom with his drawling voice, obviously trying to reach Harry’s ears, Hannah had to keep her mouth shut. 

“I do feel so sorry for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they’re not wanted at home.” He said with a sneer and Hannah looked over at Harry bent over his black cauldron, stirring precisely while Hermione instructed him over his shoulder. She grinned as he rolled his eyes at the comment but she still leaned over to whisper. 

“You know, my Dad wouldn’t mind if you came over for Christmas.” She said, looking up into his green eyes as he tore them away from the potion, ignoring Hermione’s hissing as she grabbed it from him to stir instead. “I haven’t asked him but I’m sure it would be fine.”

Harry smiled as he shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to be a bother. Besides, Ron is staying too. It’ll probably be the best Christmas I’ve ever had if I’m honest.” 

“Well, okay. But you wouldn’t be a bother-” Hannah was cut off as Snape stood and walked over to their desk. 

“Focusing on your potion, I hope?” he said with a sneer and Hannah resisted the urge to mock-gag as he leaned over to examine her and Ron’s cauldron, far too close for either of their comfort. Snape snorted as he inspected. 

“This is rubbish,” he said and flicked his wand at it, leaving their caldron bare. “A zero for the day, to both of you. And Lupin, ten points off for talking during my class. Same to you, Potter.” He walked away, leaving Hannah fuming with anger as she was left with an empty cauldron and points off for whispering a few words to her friend. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, trying to steady her breathing as she saw her friends look over concerned. She straightened and smiled at them reassuringly, spending the rest of the class playing bloody knuckles under the table with Ron, as they no longer had anything to work on. When they left the dungeons a few minutes later, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. The quartet smiled at the two large feet sticking out at the bottom as they recognized Hagrid behind it.

“Hi, Hagrid, want any help?” Ron asked as he poked his head through the branches. 

“Nah, I’m alright, thanks, Ron.” 

“Would you mind moving out of the way?” Draco’s loud voice came from right behind them and the four friends spun around to see him standing with his arms crossed, tapping his foot with Goyle and Crabbe behind him. The picture was rather funny and Hannah snorted at him, causing his brow to furrow. 

“Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose. That hut of Hagrid’s must seem like a palace compared to what your family’s used to.” he sneered. Hannah moved out of the way as Ron flung himself at Draco, making his eyes widen as Ron gripped the front of his robes and raised his fist. 

“WEASLEY!” 

Ron let go and backed away from Draco, trying to look innocent as Snape came walking over to them. 

“He was provoked, Professor Snape. Malfoy was insultin’ his family.” Hagrid said as he poked his hairy face around the branches of the tree he was holding. 

“Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid. Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn’t more. Move along, all of you.” 

The Slytherins walked away, pushing past the tree and scattering needles everywhere. Hannah tried not to say anything as Snape walked back to his classroom. He’d taken ten points each from Hannah and from Harry just for talking but Ron only got five points off for fighting? Not that she wanted Snape to take off more but... that just wasn’t fair at all. Hannah zoned out as she followed her friends and Hagrid to the Great Hall and watched Hagrid put up the large tree. The hall looked spectacular. No less than twelve giant Christmas trees lined the room, sparkling with icicles and candles. Holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls and Hannah grinned as she grabbed Ron and mockingly leaned in to kiss him, as they were under a small bunch of the green and red plant. She laughed as he screamed and ran and she chased him around until turning on Hermione and running at her. 

“You’ve got to kiss me, Moony! It’s the rules!” she yelled as she chased after her friend, who was pulling a Ron and dodging her wherever she went. Hannah laughed and turned to Harry, who prepared to run, but as she went to lean in towards him she blushed furiously and changed the subject by running over to Hagrid and offering her help for the Christmas tree. Harry stood there for a second, confused. Why would she do that to Ron and Hermione but not him? Was there something wrong with him? Harry pushed these thoughts down as Hannah and Hagrid walked back over to him, Ron, and Hermione.

“How many more days you lot got left until yer holidays?” Hagrid asked. 

“Just two,” answered Hermione. “And that reminds me- Harry, Hannah, Ron, we’ve got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library.” 

“Oh yeah, you’re right.” Ron said, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree. 

“The library?” Hagrid asked as he followed them out of the hall. “Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren’t yeh?” 

“Oh, we’re not working,” Hannah told him brightly. “Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we’ve been trying to find out who he is.” 

“You what?” Hagrid looked shocked. “Listen here… I’ve told yer… drop it. It’s nothin’ to you what that dog’s guardin’.” 

“We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that’s all.” Hermione said. 

“Unless you’d like to tell us and save us the trouble? We must’ve been through hundreds of books already and we can’t find him anywhere… just give us a hint… I know I’ve read his name somewhere.” Harry said with a charming smile. They’d had this planned for some time and he really did wish Hagrid would just break and tell them himself. 

“I’m not sayin’ nothin’.” Hagrid said flatly. 

“Just have to find out for ourselves, then.” Ron said and the four of them walked off to the library, leaving a disgruntled-looking Hagrid behind. 

“Fine.” Hermione grumbled and her three friends looked at her, confused. 

“What, Moony?” Harry asked. 

“I said fine.” Hermione huffed as they stepped into the hallway. She lowered her voice as they went to their usual table. “We can sneak into the restricted section tonight. Use the map. I’m so tired of looking. And we can’t ask Madame Pince because she might tell Snape.” 

The other three looked thrilled but opted to say nothing as it might ruin their chance. They planned their little adventure for midnight that night, figuring they’d wait until everyone cleared out of the common room to leave. They went through the rest of the day in a jumpy mood, all slightly apprehensive for their second escapade. They’d stayed out past curfew plenty of times, using the map to sneak down to the kitchen or just explore when they were bored, but since the duel with Draco, they hadn’t planned another outing like this one. The quartet sat out by the fire together and played chess after dinner, none of them speaking much, waiting for people to go off to bed. Finally, Seamus and Dean walked up the steps to the boy's dormitory together and the four friends waited until they heard the door shut to stand and climb out of the common room, Hermione opening the map as she walked down the corridor that would lead to the library. 

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.” she said as she pointed her wand at the blank piece of parchment. Ink wrapped itself around the paper and Hermione scanned it quickly before speaking.

“Okay, we’re good.” she said and she led the way to the library, taking shortcuts to avoid Filch and patrolling Professors. They walked to the library in silence, looking around in the moonlight nervously until they reached the library doors. 

“ _Alohomora!_ ” Hermione whispered and the doors swung open silently. The library was pitch black and when the doors shut behind them, they were plunged into darkness.

“What do we do?” Ron whispered. “We can’t turn the lights on, someone will notice.” 

“Padfoot, what’s that spell you use to do your homework when it gets dark at quidditch practice?” Harry asked nervously and Hannah smacked herself on the forehead with the palm of her hand. Why hadn’t she thought of that? 

“ _Lumos!_ ” Hannah whispered and the tip of her wand lit up, illuminating all her friend’s curious faces. 

“Pads, that’s third-year material!” Hermione exclaimed and Hannah snorted. 

“Don’t you know how to do it too, Moony?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. Hermione blushed.

“Well, yes. I just didn’t know you knew too.” she said bashfully.

Hannah rolled her eyes but let it slide as Harry instructed his other friends to light their wands too and follow him to the restricted section. The library was still very dark and eerie and Hermione kept her light and eyes on the map for anyone coming near the library as they walked. Their wands lit the way to the roped-off area in the back that was the restricted section and Hermione held her breath as Harry stuck a long skinny leg over the rope and climbed over. She exhaled when he stepped completely in and no alarm went off as he turned around to his friends and raised both eyebrows. Surely there had to be some extra protection! Hermione shook her head and told herself she was being paranoid as Ron stepped over and Hannah struggled to get her short legs over the rope as Harry and Ron snickered. Hermione took pity on her friend and held the rope down a bit so Hannah could hop over without knocking the poles down and waking the whole castle up. Hannah murmured a ‘thanks’ as she stepped completely over and treated two of her friends to a nice punch and Hermione rolled her eyes and told them to stop as they began a small playfight in the middle of the library at one a.m. They stopped and looked over at her, grinning and each whispering about how they won, before turning and examining the titles. They didn’t tell them much. Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages none of them knew or understood. Ron gasped and stumbled away from a book, causing them all to turn in a panic and ask him what was wrong. They stepped over to examine the old book in question that had something that looked terribly like blood spilled over the cover. Hannah pushed it back on the shelf and they all stepped away. Hermione frowned as she looked around the room. She thought it might be her imagination, but she thought she could hear a faint whisper coming from each of the books like they knew someone was there who shouldn’t be. The thought made her paranoid as she whipped her head back and forth between the whispering voices. Her worrying was broken by Hannah, who whispered a ‘yes’ as she pulled a large book off the shelf and placed it gingerly on the table. 

“What is it, Pads?” Ron asked curiously as he stepped over the book and frowned at the cover. He didn’t recognize the language written on it. 

“Dark Wizards of the Sixteenth Century.” Hannah read aloud as she traced a finger across the dusty cover of the book they now all crowded around. 

“How do you know what that says?” Harry asked curiously and the other two nodded as they tried to make sense of the peeling gold words. Hannah smiled as she looked up from the book to her friend’s faces. 

“It's Latin. _Venefici Tenebrosi Saeculo XVI_.” she explained and grinned as her friends' faces only got more confused. “My Dad didn’t want to send me to muggle school so he taught me at home. You know, math, French, Spanish, Latin, science… all that stuff.” she said with a smile. 

“You had to learn all that?” Harry said with a disgusted face. Hannah frowned.

“Well, yes. But it wasn’t bad. It was fun with him teaching it and better than muggle school.” she said and grinned when Harry nodded along with the bashing of muggle school. 

“That’s so interesting! So he taught you four different languages? We only have to learn English and then another optional one in muggle school! And that’s not until we’re older. So you were young when he taught them to you and still got it? He must be a good teacher! How many languages do you speak exactly?” Hermione whispered, too excited to notice her voice was becoming louder and louder.

“Uh, four. You got it right. Spanish, English, Latin, and French. But I’m only fluent in English obviously. The others I’m just okay at.” Hannah said with a shrug. “And yeah, he wanted to teach me more than the requirement and I thought it was cool that all those languages are linked to the wordings for different spells and enchantments so I didn’t complain.” 

“What do you mean, ‘linked to the wordings’?” Harry asked. 

“Oh, you know, like Spanish and Latin especially. They’re root languages for the spells. Some spells are just straight-up Latin with no changes.” Hannah informed and grinned when she saw all of her friends looking at her with all their attention. So this was why her father enjoyed teaching her. She smirked and gave a bow when they all remained staring and Hermione rolled her eyes as Ron clapped silently. 

“Cheers to Professor Lupin.” he whispered with a grin.

“Hey, there’s an idea,” Harry said, smiling at Hannah. “Why doesn’t your Dad teach at Hogwarts? If he taught you all that, as thick as you are, he’s got to be an excellent teacher.” he grinned, expecting a punch on the arm or a sarcastic comment back. Instead, Hannah’s face fell and she cleared her throat before turning back to the book. 

“Oh, I dunno.” Hannah said with a sad attempt at a smile as she lifted the cover of the book. Harry felt guilty as he watched her. He hadn’t meant to upset her, they joked back and forth like that all the time. An apology was on the tip of his tongue as the book fell completely open and Hannah bent forward to read the words on the page, freezing with wide eyes as a loud, bloodcurdling scream came from the worn book. Ron, once again, was the only one that thought to reach over and slam the book shut as the others froze in terror. It snapped shut but the scream went on and Harry didn’t need to tell the other to run as they sprinted out of the restricted section, Hannah falling over the rope and using Ron to help her back to her feet. Their eyes widened as they spotted Filch entering the library with a gas lamp and they ducked behind a bookshelf just as his beady eyes passed over where they’d been standing. The marauders panted, hearts racing, as Hermione pulled out the map that she’d stuck in her pocket and searched the library for exactly where Filch was. She hadn’t cleared it before beginning to run so the two small footprints slowly coming up behind the eight smaller footprints were seen immediately. Hermione ducked and led her friends down a different shelf, staying one step ahead of Filch at all times until they reached the library door and sprinted out of it, heading for Gryffindor Tower. Filch was still a few paces behind them as they ran as quietly as they could to their dorms and Hermione’s heart dropped in her stomach as she checked the map again and saw who was headed right towards them through the darkness. Hissing, she pushed a random door open and led the other three inside, shutting it quietly just as the name ‘Severus Snape’ stepped into the spot they’d been in only moments ago. The four friends watched in horror as Filch’s feet appeared out of a secret passageway to the left of them, stepping over to Snape. 

“You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody’s been in the library… the restricted section.” 

The quartet looked around at each other with pale faces. Hannah unnecessarily mouthed the words ‘he’s onto us’ before pressing her ear back to the door. 

“The restricted section? Well, they can’t be far, we’ll catch them.” Snape’s oily voice replied and Hannah, Ron, Hermione, and Harry all watched as the four footprints walked away side-by-side. Once they were far enough away, Ron exhaled loudly. 

“I was about two seconds away from pissing myself.” he informed and the others nodded along, clutching their fast-beating hearts. Being caught by Filch would be one thing, but getting caught by Snape… Gryffindor would never recover, losing that many points. Hannah looked around the room, hoping to stay a few minutes to rest before heading back up to Gryffindor Tower. She frowned as she examined the room she’d never seen before. It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls and there was a large dusty chalkboard at the front of the room. But to the side, there was something that looked like it didn’t belong there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way. It was a large mirror, as high as the ceiling with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. Hannah’s eyes widened as she read the inscription carved around the top. 

_Erised Stra Ehru Oyt Ube Cafru Oyt On Wohsi_

“What does it say?” Ron whispered to Hannah as the four of them stepped over to the mirror, Harry in the lead. 

“I dunno.” Hannah mumbled under her breath. “I don’t recognize the language.” 

Harry stepped directly in front of it, wanting to look at his reflection that did not seem to appear as he walked over to it. He immediately clapped a hand to his mouth to keep from screaming and whirled around to look behind him. 

“Harry! What’s wrong?” Hannah said as she stepped over and placed a hand on his shoulder, noting his bright green eyes were wide with surprise as he studied their reflection in the mirror. 

“Can you… see them?” he asked and Hannah turned back to look at Ron and Hermione, now seriously alarmed at her friend’s behavior. Ron and Hermione looked just as concerned as she felt and they all shared a look of worry before Hannah turned back to her friend. 

“See who, Prongs?” Hannah said in a gentle voice and Harry just pointed at the mirror, his eyes glazed over. Hannah looked into the mirror and stared at her own reflection, standing next to Harry’s, looking worried with both hands on his arm.

“I only see us. Who is ‘them’?” she asked and Harry looked over at her and frowned before removing her from her grip on his shoulder and turning her so she faced directly in front of the mirror. Hannah looked back at Harry, nervous at what she might see, and gulped as he nodded encouragingly. She’d never seen anyone pale as fast as he had when he’d looked into the mirror before. She took a deep breath and drew on that Gryffindor courage before looking up into the mirror with wide eyes.

She almost fainted.

Hannah stood in the middle of the room with a small group of people surrounding her. Standing directly behind her, almost close enough to touch, were Sirius and Remus. Sirius was tall, handsome, and healthy-looking, smiling at her with tears in his eyes and an arm wrapped around Remus’ waist. Hannah’s heart dropped a few inches further as she looked over at her other father and saw his skin completely clear, not a scar in sight. Remus smiled at her kindly and she felt a different kind of warmth come from the smile of his reflection than normally came from the real him. There was no shadow behind it, it did not fade almost as soon as it came, it stuck and filled her heart with a kind of mingled happiness and pain. Hannah wished that she’d seen him smile like that before. She could hardly feel the tears rolling down her cheeks as she studied the rest of the people in the room that she'd only ever known from photographs. Marlene stood on Remus’ side, smiling proudly with her arm slung around Dorcas. Peter stood next to Dorcas, grinning and giving her a wave, and Hannah’s knees buckled and hit the floor hard when she looked over at Sirius’s side and saw James and Lily Potter, smiling with a scarless Harry standing between them. 

“Hannah!”

Hermione’s voice was an echo and her hands on her shoulders didn’t feel real as Hannah looked up and studied every inch of Sirius’ face. He was good, he was good, she could feel it. 

“Do you see them too? Do you see my parents?” Harry’s voice said from beside her and Hannah’s hearing cleared and she tore her eyes away from her parents and their friends to look up at the real Harry. 

“Yes.” she answered before looking back at Sirius and Harry looked relieved. For a second he’d thought he’d gone mad. 

“Your parents?” Ron asked curiously. 

“Yes. And other family members too. There’s loads of people in there.” Harry said as he helped Hannah to her feet and did not notice the flicker of confusion that passed on her face. Hannah still stood with her mouth wide open and tears streaming down her cheeks, wetting her blouse.

“Are you okay, Pads?” Hermione asked nervously as she waved a hand in front of Hannah’s glazed eyes. 

“Hmm? Oh, yes.” Hannah said quietly as she looked away from her parents and around the room. She shook her head slightly and rubbed her eyes as she stepped out of the way of the mirror. 

“I want to see.” Ron announced and he stepped in front of the mirror, looking up into his reflection. His eyes widened. 

“Woah!” he exclaimed. 

“Can you see all my family standing around you?” Harry asked excitedly and again Hannah looked confused, a question forming on her lips as Ron spoke again. 

“No, I’m alone,” Ron said, interrupting Hannah’s train of thought. “But I’m different… I look older… and I’m head boy!” 

“What?” Harry and Hannah said in unison. 

“I am… I’m wearing the badge like Bill used to… and I’m holding the house cup and the quidditch cup… I’m quidditch captain too!” 

He turned to his friends. 

“Do you think this mirror shows the future?” he asked and Hannah shook her head. There was no way… no matter how much she wished…

“How can it? All my family is dead.” Harry said bluntly and Hannah cringed before speaking. 

“I only see you and your parents in there, Harry. Not your whole family,” she said and Harry looked over at her curiously. “I see you and your parents, my Dads, my surrogate mother and her girlfriend, and Peter. Only Sirius is good, in the mirror.” Hannah explained with a blush. 

“So… it’s different for everyone?” Harry said and Hermione looked back and forth between all of her friends before pushing Ron out of the way, ignoring his protests, and standing in front of the mirror herself. Hannah watched as her mouth fell open. 

“What do you see, Moony?” she asked.

“I see… us. The four of us, but me in the front still…” Hermione said in a quiet voice. “We’re all grown up… and… I think I’m the minister of magic!” she frowned as she stepped back from the mirror and looked up to the engraving at the top. Hannah could practically hear the gears in her head turning. 

“What the bloody hell are you…” Hermione said with narrowed eyes at the engraving. The other three stepped out of the way as she ran over to the dusty chalkboard and cleared it with her hand before grabbing a bit of chalk and turning to the board. 

“Someone spell the engraving out to me.” she ordered and Hannah and Ron obliged, ignoring Harry who had moved back into the mirror to stare some more at his parents. Hermione wrote out the engraving and then reversed the words, writing the backward version directly under it. Hannah was surprised when the words started to make sense, and she and Ron walked over to read them. 

“You’re a genius, ‘Mione.” Ron praised and Hermione gave him a small smile. The words on the board read: 

_I show not your face but your heart's desire._

“So… it shows just our deepest desire? It’s not real?” Hannah asked and Hermione nodded. Hannah was only slightly embarrassed at what her deepest desire had been, but not at all surprised. Ron was slightly redder than her but Hermione didn’t seem to mind her desire as she grinned to herself and put the chalk down. Hannah saw her face fall as her eyes fell on Harry. 

“Harry?” Hermione said cautiously as she stepped over to her friend, Hannah and Ron directly behind her. “Harry, did you hear us? It’s not real… it just shows our deepest desires.” 

Harry’s face was frozen as he stared at the mirror and studied his Mum and Dad’s faces. Why couldn’t it be real… his face fell as he tore his eyes away and Ron was by his side first, steadying him with an arm around his shoulder. Hannah and Hermione followed shortly after, hugging him on his other side. Harry probably should’ve cried but he could not make himself, years of living in the Dursley’s and being disciplined and called weak when he shed a tear made crying very difficult for him and the tears did not come even when they were needed. He hoped his friends wouldn’t think him weird for not crying. 

“I just… want a family.” Harry said in a small voice to compensate for the lack of tears. He felt Hannah freeze from her spot wrapped around his torso before she looked up at him with large amber eyes that seemed to be providing all the tears he was missing. 

“You do have a family, Prongs.” she said with a smile. 

“Of course you do.” said Hermione.

“You always will.” said Ron.

The four friends stood wrapped around each other for some time until Harry complained about not being able to breathe. Laughing, they broke apart and Hermione took out the map to lead them back to Gryffindor Tower. Back in the common room, they realized they still hadn’t gotten any information on Nicolas Flamel. The marauders threw back in their comfy armchairs with a collective sigh and thought of different ways to find out. 

“You could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is, Moony. It’d be safe to ask them.” Ron said. 

“Very safe, as they’re both dentists.” Hermione replied.

“I could ask my Dad,” Hannah said thoughtfully. “I’d just have to make up a good excuse. He’d know if I was up to something.” 

The other three nodded their approval of this new plan and collapsed in their beds later that night, each dreaming of what they’d seen in the mirror. But all pushing the thoughts down when they woke, as they’d agreed on their way out not to return. It would do no good to dwell on dreams and forget to live. 

**

On the first day of Christmas holidays, Hermione and Hannah woke early and packed, climbing down the stairs and hoping Ron and Harry would be up to say goodbye. However, the common room was empty when they stepped into it and looked around. The boys had obviously slept in. 

“Gits.” Hannah said with a roll of her eyes and the two friends climbed out of the portrait hole and down the stairs to the Great Hall for a quick breakfast before the train ride. About thirty minutes later, they were boarding the train with the majority of the other Hogwarts population. Hannah and Hermione ended up sharing a compartment with Neville, Dean, and Seamus. They all laughed and ate the muggle candy Dean had been sent last week for his birthday on the train ride, Hannah absolutely destroying Seamus in chess and making him blush furiously as Dean laughed. 

“You’re cheating,” Seamus accused in his thick Scottish accent that Hannah always got the strong urge to imitate. “There’s no way you’re that good.” 

Hannah snorted as she moved her knight to take his second bishop.

“I think you’ve just gotten rusty spending all your time teaching a muggleborn to play.” she said with a grin and Seamus shrugged, as all his chess time had indeed been spent taking it easy on Dean and letting him learn. Even if he did continue to beat him every time. 

“Hey! I caught on fast!” Dean said from his seat by the window and Hannah rolled her eyes. 

“Oh, don’t take offense. All muggleborns take forever to learn it. You should’ve been there when Ron and I were teaching Harry. I wanted to rip my hair out. Bless him, but he’s not that bright.” 

Next to her, Hermione snorted and Hannah looked around with raised eyebrows.

“What are you laughing at? You still can’t play to save your life.” Hannah grinned as Hermione rolled her eyes. 

“I can play! I play chess with my Mum all the time.” 

“But that’s muggle chess. You can’t play wizard’s chess.” Hannah said.

“I can play, I just don’t want to. It’s so violent.” Hermione cringed as one of Seamus’ knights destroyed a pawn of Hannah’s. “See! It’s barbaric.”

“It’s wizard’s chess.” Seamus and Hannah said in unison, grinning at each other. 

“But Seamus I thought you were muggleborn too.” Neville said from his seat by the compartment door.

“I thought you were pureblood.” Hannah said with a frown and Seamus snorted, like their different assumptions of his heritage was very fitting. 

“I’m half and half,” he explained and Hannah and Neville nodded. “My Dads a muggle. Mums a witch. Bitoanastyshokferimwenefoundout.” 

“I beg your pardon-” Hannah’s teasing was interrupted as the trolly witch knocked on their door and offered them sweets. Everyone in the compartment stood except Neville, who did not get an allowance when he was at school and had no money saved for this occasion. Hermione nudged Hannah in the stomach as she saw her friend try to move over and talk to Seamus. 

“Leave him alone, Padfoot, it’s just his accent!” she hissed and Hannah dropped it when she saw Hermione's eyebrows had gotten got dangerously close to her hairline. Everyone bought themselves sweets out in the hallway and when they entered, dropped part of something on Neville’s lap as they’d each noticed he had nothing.

“Oh, guys… you don’t have to-” 

“Nonsense.” Hannah snorted as she arranged the pieces of her chessboard back in place. “Come and play me, Neville. I’m tired of the easy ass games with this lump.” she said with a grin as she nudged Seamus who did not say anything back as he was busy sharing a chocolate bar with Dean. Neville beat Hannah, not once, but three times in a row, which everyone in the compartment found hilarious. By the time the train pulled up to the station, Hannah’s pride was severely wounded and she swore never to play against Neville again as she and her small group of friends stepped out onto the platform and looked for their parents. Dean was swooped up by his mother, father, and little sister almost immediately and they all met and waved goodbye politely. Seamus spotted his mother waiting for him a few seconds later and said goodbye to his friends, awkwardly giving them each a kiss on the cheek, before running off towards his Mum. This left Hannah, Hermione, and Neville to search for their parents together. Hannah’s heart was beating very fast, she’d missed Remus terribly and was looking forward to a happy Christmas with him. She spotted a patch of curly auburn hair over a large group of Ravenclaws and grinned as she ran towards her father. Remus was standing with Hermione’s parents, chatting politely and when he heard Hannah’s cry of ‘daddy!’ he turned and smiled almost as wide as he had in the mirror of erised. Hannah ran and jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly as he squeezed her back. 

“I missed you so much, puppy.” he said into her hair and Hannah could tell he was smiling. 

“I missed you too.” she said back and he set her down, grinning as he placed his hands on her shoulders. 

“Look at how big you are! You’ve grown almost a foot!” he exclaimed and Hannah knew he was stretching it but still giggled happily at the thought of being tall. She stepped back as she shook hands with Hermione’s parents since she’d never formally met them. They were a happy couple who resembled Hannah’s friend quite a lot. She noticed Hermione’s Mum had the same eyes and hair, while her Dad had the same complexion and smile. The parents and children chatted happily until Neville’s grandmother walked over and took his hand, saying goodbye to everyone and leading him off the platform. Remus smiled at the old woman’s retreating figure. He remembered her doing the exact same to Frank when they were in school. The marauders and whatever other friends they’d decided to adopt that year would stand on the platform together, chatting and promising to write before different parents swooped in and took their kids home. Frank had always been the first to go. 

“Well, we’d better get going.” Augustus Granger, Hermione’s father said as he checked his watch. “‘Moines got cousins visiting for Christmas and they’re supposed to drop by later this evening.” 

“We want to be there when my brother arrives.” Jean Granger, Hermione’s mother added as she wrapped an arm around her daughter. “It was so nice to see you again, Remus. And nice to meet you officially, Hannah.” she said with a warm smile. 

“Same here, Jean,” Remus said as he shook the hand Augustus had extended to him and kissed Jean on the cheek. “You have our address. Hermione can come over any day after Christmas.” 

The Grangers agreed and walked off, Hannah and Hermione sharing a long hug before leaving the platform, now realizing just how much they were going to miss each other. Remus pushed the cart that held Ziggy and Hannah’s trunk, commenting on how much lighter it was than usual and laughing when Hannah said she thought she might have forgotten some things. The Lupins walked over to their old army green Honda Civic and loaded Hannah’s trunk and owl inside. They stepped back and got in, Hannah in the passenger's seat and Remus in the driver’s, humming along to the radio as Remus pulled out of the parking lot and headed home.

“So,” Remus said as he turned down the volume of The Foundations’ ‘Build Me Up Buttercup’, ignoring Hannah’s frown when she couldn’t sing along to it anymore. “What’s school like?” 

Hannah grinned, no longer caring about the song as she told her father everything. 

“Oh, it’s wonderful! Classes are so interesting and I’ve made so many friends. Especially Hermione, Ron, and Harry we’re all very close but of course I told you that in my letters. I can’t wait until next year when I can play quidditch with Harry. And I told you about the troll, of course, I still don’t know why you got so mad about that. I still think we should’ve gotten more than five points each, especially Ron because he knocked it out. I just really-” 

“Hannah, love. School. Not the troll. We’ve talked about this, you shouldn’t have been out there and that’s not what I asked.”

“Okay, okay.”

“How are the teachers?” 

Hannah frowned at this and Remus felt his heart rate pick up a little as he turned onto a backroad. He hadn’t wanted to ask about Snape in a letter, he figured if it was bad enough she would write about it but she never did. Remus found Snape leaving her alone hard to believe, especially since Hannah had gotten so close to Harry.

“Er, they’re okay. Minerva is still really nice and I’m glad to have her around. You know she teaches Transfiguration so, yeah, my other teachers are Professor Sprout, that’s Herbology, kind of ironic, Professor Flitwick for Charms, Professor Quirrell for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Binns for History of Magic, and then Professor Snape for Potions. They’re mostly okay. Sprout is really nice but Binns is literally drop dead boring. Like, seriously, he’s a ghost.” 

Remus laughed at this, remembering the long painful lessons from the old ghost that he’d endured during his years of Hogwarts. 

“Flitwick is cool,” Hannah continued. “And Professor Quirrell is okay. He’s got this really bad stutter and he acts like he’s scared of all his students.”

“That’s odd.”

“Yeah but he’s not mean or anything.” 

“Well, that’s good,” Remus said with a smile. “So no mean teachers?” he pushed and when Hannah sighed he gripped the steering wheel a little harder than he should've.

“No, the potions professor is horrible. His name is Snape and he’s so mean. Swear he has it out for me and Harry but most people just say he’s like that with everyone but the Slytherins.” 

“What does he do?” Remus was gripping the steering wheel like a lifeline as he turned onto the dirt road that led to their cottage. 

“He takes off points for dumb stuff. And he lets Slytherins talk in his class all the time but the other day when Harry and I were talking he took off ten points each. It’s so weird like he really seems to hate us. Also at Harry’s quidditch match…” Hannah studied her fingers and Remus frowned at his daughter. He'd known that she would be treated unfairly. There was no doubt in his mind that when left unsupervised Snape would bully her and Harry. But he didn’t think anything Snape did would be bad enough to cause Hannah to pause and study her feet… like she was steeling herself up to say something important. Rage rose in Remus’ throat and he stopped in the middle of the road to take his hands off the wheel and turn and look at his daughter, who was wearing a very confused expression. 

“What did he do to you?” 

Hannah spluttered at the look on Remus’ face. Her father did not get mad often and even less than that was his anger seen by her. The last time she’d witnessed Remus mad was two Christmas’ ago after a particularly nasty fight between him and Lyall about spending the entire week at Lyall’s house instead of just the one day. She heard her grandfather say something about it being safer for Hannah in case Remus ever hurt her accidentally and she remembered Remus turning white with rage before grabbing her by the hand and leading her out of the house without saying goodbye to anyone. He’d calmed immediately once the car started and he drove off, talking to Hannah about if she enjoyed her Christmas or not like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Remus was very good at suppressing his emotions and anger, the wolf hadn’t reached the surface during human form for years and it still was being kept at bay now, though his lips were pressed in a thin line and Hannah could feel anger behind those identical amber eyes. It wasn’t directed at her though so she took a deep breath to stop her stuttering and spoke.

“He didn’t do anything to me! I mean, yeah, he bullies me in class but no, at Harry’s quidditch match when he almost fell off his broom, Hermione saw Snape mumbling something like a jinx. Like he was trying to get Harry to fall!” Hannah said with wide eyes and Remus calmed himself with a breath and took his foot off the brake pedal. The old dirt road that led to their cottage was nearly always deserted, they could have sat for hours and talked about Snape but he could see Hannah getting restless as the car ride went on, tapping her fingers and switching the way she sat every few seconds. Remus didn’t particularly want to deal with an over-energetic eleven-year-old at the moment so he sped up, hoping to get to the cottage soon so she could work out some energy on Stardust before bed. 

“Daddy?”

Remus looked over in surprise at his daughter. He’d been so relieved that Hannah’s important message had been nothing but a ridiculous accusation that he did not remember to even react to it.

“What, oh! You think so?” 

“Yes! I saw him mumbling under his breath too and only when Hermione went over to break his eye contact Harry was able to get back on his broom.” 

Remus frowned, not wanting to tell her she was wrong right off the bat since she seemed like she was very excited to get his opinion. 

“Do you think maybe he was trying to fix whatever happened to Harry’s broom?” 

Hannah rolled her eyes.

“No! He hates Harry, he’d never try to save him.” 

Remus thought differently, remembering the incident fifth year. He vividly remembered Snape hating when James would cockily remind him about being his ‘savior’ and Remus thought that saving Harry so he no longer had to think about owing James was exactly the kind of thing Snape would do. He kept his opinions to himself as Hannah speculated widely about the potions professor, insulting his appearance and intelligence and Remus had to hold back a laugh several times, cursing himself when he knew she’d seen the corners of his mouth twitch. They pulled into the driveway of their small baby blue cottage and Hannah smiled at her house as they unloaded the trunk and owl. With permission, she immediately ran out to the shed and took out Stardust, wheeling the large bike out to the road and jumping up on it.

“Helmet!” 

Hannah rolled her eyes at the sound of Remus’ voice through the window. She could hear and smell his cooking already starting and she grinned to herself as she pulled the stickered-covered helmet over her wavy black hair. She started up the bike and zoomed down the dirt road, loving the feeling of the wind on her face as she rode around the different backroads that she’d missed so much. When her arms were sore and her back ached, she pulled the bike back into it’s shed and ran inside the dining room from the sliding glass door. She grinned at her father as he told her to wash her hands and obliged when she smelled one of her favorites: vegetarian shepherds pie. Remus had been a vegetarian for as long as Hannah could remember, always making meatless meals if he could help it but never making her follow his diet if she did not want to. Hannah had many burgers when they’d gone shopping in the city and enjoyed them quite a lot but never asked Remus to make them for her. They ate dinner in the living room while listening to old Christmas music and catching up. 

_‘Rockin' around the Christmas tree_

_At the Christmas party hop_

_Mistletoe hung where you can see_

_Every couple tries to stop’_

Remus smiled at his daughter as she gave a very energetic reenactment of one of Harry’s catches that she’d witnessed during a practice. He remembered Sirius getting that excited and supportive of James when he made a good goal or dive. Remus’ heart dropped when he thought of Sirius. Christmas was always a rough time for Remus, as Sirius had always been very fun and festive this time of year. Remus could almost see him now, running around the cottage and decorating far more than the little home could take. Their first and only Christmas with Hannah had been a good one. She was old enough to dance along to the different carols and tunes that Sirius played on their record player and old enough to understand how bad his singing was and laugh along with Remus when he attempted a high note that just wasn’t meant for him. 

_‘Rockin' around the Christmas tree_

_Let the Christmas spirit ring_

_Later we'll have some pumpkin pie_

_And we'll do some caroling’_

Hannah stopped her reenactment when she saw the glaze in her father’s eyes. Seeing him again after the image of him in the mirror of erised was now particularly painful, she was forced to face the fact that his curse was incurable and they’d never have Sirius or James and Lily around again. Hannah pushed these thoughts away and stuck a hand out to her father, smiling. He looked surprised to see her standing there for a few moments but he smiled back as he took her hand and pushed himself off the couch with a grunt. The full had only been a few days ago and he could still feel it in his bones but he was thankful that he wouldn’t have to transform while Hannah was here for the holidays. Hannah led her father over to the middle of the living room and took his other hand in hers. Remus laughed when he realized what she wanted to do and Hannah smiled at the sound as he helped her small feet onto his long ones. He held her on his feet and danced around the room to the sound of the music.

_‘You will get a sentimental feeling when you hear_

_Voices singing, let's be jolly_

_Deck the halls with boughs of holly’_

Hannah smiled and looked up into her father’s happy face as he spun the two of them around the room. It wasn’t exactly the same as the smile she’d seen in the mirror of erised, but it was close. Hannah laughed as Remus lost his footing slightly when he turned on the carpet; he’d never been known for having much rhythm. 

_‘Rockin' around the Christmas tree_

_Have a happy holiday_

_Everyone dancin' merrily_

_In the new old-fashioned way’_

That night they went to bed late after staying up and watching an old Christmas film together. Remus felt more at peace than he had in months when he thought of the fact that Hannah was just a door down, safe in her room. He smiled in his pillow as he remembered the night they’d shared. Hannah really was a sweet girl, he’d missed her so much. Tears came before Remus really knew they were there and he found himself hugging the pillow next to him like a lifeline, his face buried in the soft fabric. Sirius should be here. Hannah’s first Christmas home from Hogwarts. Remus shouldn’t have to celebrate it alone with her, shouldn’t have to make dinner for two or buy presents by himself. It always seemed more unfair than usual this time of year and he didn’t bother drying his eyes as he cried himself to sleep. Crying around this time of the month was unusual for Remus, it normally took something bigger than just remembering his old love to make him cry. He blamed it on hearing about Snape’s bullying. He would definitely be talking to Minerva at the Christmas party. Over in Hannah’s room, her mind was blissfully blank as she drifted off to sleep on a full stomach in her own bed. She’d missed the feel and smell of her full-size bed and appreciated it now more than ever after spending three months with a twin. She smiled to herself as she hugged the worn stuffed black dog that she’d had for as long as she could remember close to her chest and breathed in its scent. It felt good to be home. 

**

Christmas came very fast and before they knew it, Hannah and Remus were standing at the Tonk’s doorstep, each holding a stack of presents in their hands. Ted opened the door and greeted them with a smile, relieving them of their presents as he stepped aside to let them in. They both raised their eyebrows when they spotted the large ugly red sweater that resembled Santa’s suit and covered his slowly protruding belly. The Lupins grinned at each other as they watched Ted move the pile of presents to the large Christmas tree that took up the majority of the living room.

“You decorated it without me!” Hannah exclaimed as she walked over and inspected the red, gold, and green decorations that covered the tree. Ted and Remus laughed.

“You were off somewhere, puppy.” Remus said with a grin, standing with his hands tucked in his best pair of khaki pants. “They couldn’t get ahold of you.” 

Ted smiled at Hannah’s continued pouting and pulled a small box off the shelf. Hannah's face lit up significantly when she recognized it. 

“We saved this for the baby of the family, of course.” Ted said with a happy smile as Hannah opened the box and pulled out the star, giggling when her uncle lifted her by the armpits to place it on top of the tree. Ted groaned and cracked his back when she finally got it on top and he set her down.

“Not as small as she used to be.” he laughed.

“Remus! Hannah!” 

Andromeda smiled as she came in from her kitchen, wearing a sweater identical to Ted’s and bringing the smell of scones with her. She hugged them each, kissing Hannah on the forehead and commenting on her nonexistent growth before she straightened very fast and walked out of the room.

“I’ve just remembered!” she called over her shoulder and Remus caught Ted’s eye and raised an eyebrow. The older man laughed and shrugged his shoulders, trying to say it was a surprise. Andromeda returned a few moments later, holding what looked like two overgrown mothballs. 

“Ugly sweater party!” Andromeda said with a winning smile as she handed the two sweaters to Remus and Hannah.

“Andy-” Remus started but collapsed into a strong fit of giggles as he read his sweater. It was bright red and green, covered in ugly patterns, and had the words ‘don we now our FUN apparel’ written across the front in large gold letters. Hannah’s was slightly better, bright green with a red reindeer pattern covering the front and gold puffy balls sticking off the shoulders. It was going to clash horribly with the cute red dress Remus had put her in earlier that morning for the occasion but she laughed at the sweater and looked like she’d been given a present early. 

“Put it on, come on!” Andromeda said with a smile as Hannah tugged hers over her head and Remus just giggled. 

“I am not wearing-” Remus started with a smile but stopped when Andromeda took out her wand and pointed it at him. 

“I know too many tickling charms for my own good and unless you want to spend the rest of the evening rolling on the floor while the rest of us eat, put the sweater on, Remus Lupin.” she said with a smile that grew wider when Remus tugged the ugly thing over his head. He sighed as he straightened with it on. How had she known exactly what size he was? Remus smiled at her anyways as she led the way into the kitchen and ordered him around to help with food. He grinned when he saw Dora standing by the mashed potatoes, wearing a bright red sweater that had the words ‘I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus’ written across the front in green lettering and sporting golden blonde hair for the occasion. Dora grunted and the corners of her mouth twitched when she saw Remus’ sweater.

“She threaten you with a tickling charm?” 

“Why am I not surprised you needed persuasion as well?” Remus said with a smile as he stepped over to the oven and pulled out the green bean casserole, setting it on the stove where Andromeda ordered it. 

“Because I’m the only sane person in this house and you know it.” Dora said to the back of her mother’s head, grinning when her Mom flipped her off without looking. 

“Shut it, you two.” 

Remus and Dora grinned at each other as they helped around the kitchen, working in silence with the occasional sarcastic comment as they moved. Hannah was in the living room with Ted, trying to convince him to let her open her presents early. The doorbell rang and Andromeda ran out of the room to greet Minerva and force her into a bright green sweater. Remus raised his eyebrows and poked his head into the living room, curious to see how this interaction was going to go. Minerva tried to politely decline but Andromeda pushed the sweater into her hands anyways and Hannah got down on her hands and knees and begged her to put it on so they would match. Minerva rolled her eyes before slipping it over her head and smiling when Hannah and Ted cheered. Remus smiled as he peered out into the kitchen and watched his daughter turn on Minerva instead and try and convince her to open her present early. The doorbell rang again and his smile slipped off his face, he’d been hoping to have a few more minutes of peace before their last guest arrived. 

“Grandpa!”

“Hey, pumpkin!” 

Lyall hugged his granddaughter tightly and greeted everyone else in the room with a smile, his eyes resting on Remus only briefly before straightening up and laughing at the sweater Andromeda was forcing on him. He slipped it over his head without argument and sat back in an armchair, wincing slightly. Everyone except Hannah noticed the difference in the old man. His face was paler than normal and a light sheen of sweat covered his face and forehead. He wiped it off with a handkerchief before coughing into it and when he pulled away from the cloth, every muscle in Remus’ body stiffened. Blood. Remus hated that he could smell it from here and he hated the concern that rose in his throat even more. He watched his father pretend nothing was out of the ordinary as he stuffed the handkerchief back in his pocket. Their eyes met briefly and Lyall grimaced, frowning at his son for using his abilities even though it wasn’t intentional. Remus decided against saying anything and he turned back into the kitchen to help Dora cook. Their Christmas dinner went well, Andromeda and Remus setting the table and trying to keep Ted and Hannah from stealing rolls out of the small basket that held them. Once the table was set up, everyone crowded around and ate more than they needed while catching up. They were stretched back in their seats, talking politely and laughing at each other’s jokes when Lyall cleared his throat for their attention.

“I hate to ruin the mood, but I have some bad news.” 

Remus’ brow furrowed and Hannah looked up from slipping small pieces of ham down to the fat terrier, Helga, that sat between her feet. 

“What’s wrong, Lyall?” Andromeda asked politely. Remus knew very well that she only tolerated his father for Hannah’s sake, and always appreciated her when she invited him for Christmas dinners and parties. 

“Well, I’ve been spending a lot of time at Saint Mungo’s recently,” Lyall said dramatically and Remus gritted his teeth. Really… at Christmas dinner…

“And it seems that this is likely to be my last Christmas.” 

The reaction to his words could’ve been seen from a mile away. Dora’s elbow fell off the side of the table and her head hit the wood with a thunk, Ted jumped in his seat and spilled a great deal of butterbeer down his front, Andromeda gasped and pressed a hand to her chest, Minerva alone remained completely still, closing her eyes for a moment and pressing her lips together as she processed this information, Hannah made a weird noise between a sob and a hiccup, and Remus’ grip on the arm of the wooden chair he was sitting in tightened and he felt the wood splinter and shatter beneath his fingers and cursed himself as he wordlessly performed a reparo spell. 

“How do you know?” Ted asked.

“It’s called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Basically means my lungs are giving out. I’ve had it for a while but it’s gotten very bad recently and I thought you lot should know. There’s no muggle or wizarding cure.” Lyall answered. Hannah now actually let a sob escape, shaking her shoulders as tears rolled down her cheeks. Remus moved immediately and put an arm around her shoulder. 

“It’s okay, pumpkin,” Lyall said from across the table, extending a hand to her granddaughter and smiling kindly. “I still have some time. Nothing’s written in stone.” 

“I don’t want you to die.” Hannah choked out and Remus’ heart tightened as he remembered saying those exact words to his mother when she was on her deathbed. 

“I know, love. No one wants to die. But I promise you’ll be okay and we’ll spend plenty of time together before then.” Lyall said as he took her small hand in his and squeezed it.

“I’m so sorry, Lyall.” Minerva said and Lyall nodded at her with a smile. Everyone at the table apologized except Remus, who managed a ‘that’s terrible’ before turning his attention back on Hannah. Lyall really had ruined the mood of the party and they suffered through the rest in uncomfortable silence before they stood one by one and walked over to the living room to open presents. Remus hated seeing his daughter’s tear-streaked face force a smile as she opened her presents one by one and his anger for his father grew stronger and stronger by the minute. After the presents were done, Dora convinced Hannah to go out to the backyard and light off the large pack of fireworks that Hannah had gotten from Ted. Lyall stepped out to the front porch for a smoke and Remus could not resist his urge to follow him. 

“Rem-” Andromeda started but just ended up shaking her head as Remus ignored her and shut the door behind him. Lyall looked up in surprise when he saw his son standing beside him. 

“That’s what did it though, eh?” Remus said angrily, pointing to the lit cigarette in Lyall’s fingers. Lyall just shrugged and looked back up into the sky. 

“You realized you just ruined her entire Christmas, right?” 

“She deserved to know.” 

“No, she’s eleven and she doesn’t understand death and shouldn’t have that information forced on her at fucking Christmas. How do you think the rest of her holiday is going to go? Or when she goes back to school? She’ll be constantly worried about you because that’s the type of person she is. She’ll want to spend every second with you until she leaves.” Remus’ hands shook as he spoke. Lyall said nothing, just looked up into the sky, and ignored his son. Realization dawned on Remus. 

“That’s what you want, isn’t it? For her to spend every second with you.” 

Lyall put out his cigarette and turned to his son at these words. 

“You know it is, Remus. She’s not safe with you.” 

Remus paled and he spluttered for a second before speaking.

“Safe with me? Of course, she’s safe with me. I’m her father.” 

“No, you’re a werewolf. She is not safe in that house with a werewolf. I should’ve done something sooner.” Lyall’s face hardened as he spoke and Remus felt the many years of putting up with his father’s verbal abuse come flooding back into his brain as he stepped back a few paces and let his jaw drop.

“Excuse me? Are you even dying?” 

“Of course I’m dying. I wouldn’t lie about that. But while she’s spending time with me I can inform her on exactly how dangerous you are and maybe she’ll learn enough to want to move in with Andromeda after I’m gone.” 

Remus’ legs grew weak and he sat back in the old rocking chair with his head in his hands. He couldn’t keep Hannah away from Lyall, especially if he was dying.

“Mum always loved me,” Remus said in a shaky voice and he was pleased to see Lyall stiffen as he looked down on him. “She knew I was still me. Why can’t you?” 

“Your mother was a muggle. She didn’t understand what you are.” 

Anger came flooding back and Remus stood, stepping up to his father and straightening so their small height difference was more clear. 

“You are the reason I’m like this. Greyback came after me because of you. If what you say about me is how you truly feel, then you’re just guilty that you killed your son. And that’s not my fault. I am very much alive and well, father, unlike you, so tell my daughter what you want but she will not believe you and she will tell you to fuck off. She’s good like that. Just like Sirius.”

Lyall paled at the mention of Sirius and Remus smiled. He knew his father never approved of that aspect of Remus either and though it pained him to compare her to Sirius, he hadn’t been wrong. There was no way Hannah would let Lyall sway her opinion of him. She knew him. Remus stormed back inside and sat down, ranting to Andromeda, Ted, and Minerva about what Lyall’s plan was. They all got almost as angry as he did but quickly shut it down as Lyall walked back in and asked where Hannah was. Andromeda told him she was in the backyard with a stiff voice and Lyall walked out to say goodbye to his granddaughter, wisely choosing to apparate in the backyard instead of walking through the house again. Around an hour later, Remus loaded the presents that he and Hannah had received in the back of the army green Honda Civic and waved goodbye to the Tonks and Minerva. Hannah was too tired to pick up on his mood and she fell asleep almost as soon as the car started rolling back to their cottage. Remus kept his mind blank oblivion as he drove, focusing on the road and trying not to think about ripping his father’s head off. They pulled into their driveway thirty minutes later and Remus smiled at his daughter as she remained asleep while he parked. He got out of the car and walked around to the passenger seat, opening it and picking Hannah up in his arms. He walked her into the cottage and up the stairs to her bedroom, laying her down on her bed and removing her shoes so she could sleep peacefully. Remus straightened and smiled at his daughter. She slept flat on her back with her arms flung up around the sides of her head, snoring softly. She’d slept like that ever since she was a baby and Remus’ heart lurched as he remembered standing over her crib with Sirius and giggling about how she slept. He reached over and brushed a lock of hair out of her face with his long fingers before kissing her softly on the forehead. No, Lyall would not take this from him. This was everything to Remus. As he closed her bedroom door quietly, he remembered that he'd completely forgotten to talk to Minerva about Snape. Oh well, he’d just have to take a trip to the school. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee.  
> (probably a cover, but that's the one i think of when i hear the song so yea)  
> the timing of the mirror or erised is pushed earlier for obvious angsty reasons in case you were wondering


	10. Right Back Where We Started From - Year One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the Philosopher's stone

Over the majority of the Christmas holidays, Hannah spent more than enough time with Lyall. She asked Remus to see him almost every day out of concern that he might drop dead any minute, an idea Lyall did nothing to squash. It started off with Lyall coming over to the cottage when Remus was home to sit around and talk and play with her. Since Remus was always in earshot or sitting with them, Lyall was forced to say nothing about his condition and they sat in uncomfortable silence while Hannah rode her broomstick or talked about school. Unfortunately, Remus’ boss started calling around and asking for him, not taking sickness as an answer when Remus attempted faking it. Sighing, he told the old man that he’d be in the next day. Remus didn’t want to go to work for multiple reasons, he’d missed Hannah quite a lot and did not want to cut his time short with her but his main reason was fear of what Lyall would undoubtedly share with his daughter. He wasn’t scared of her thinking him a monster, he knew she never would but he was concerned about the lengths Lyall would go to persuade Hannah out of the house. He wasn’t above stretching the truth and Hannah loved and trusted her grandfather and wouldn’t fight him unless she absolutely had to. The day he had to go in, a solution presented itself in the form of Dora. The doorbell rang and Hannah jumped up and opened it to find her grandfather and her cousin standing at the door together, Lyall looking rather disgruntled and Dora forcing a polite smile. Remus beamed at her. 

“I still have the rest of the week off,” Dora said as she hugged Hannah and walked around the room to throw herself down on the couch, propping two large black combat boots up on the coffee table. “So I figured why not spend it with my baby cousin?” she said with a grin. Remus knew that Andromeda had undoubtedly told her about Lyall’s plan and gratitude for Dora rose in his throat when he realized Hannah would not be alone for a second with Lyall. 

“Yes. Why not?” Lyall said, gritting his teeth as he sat himself down in one of the old armchairs. Remus said goodbye to his daughter and promised he’d be home in time to watch tv before bed. He waved to Dora and stepped out of the door with a large grin plastered on his face. He had nothing to worry about. Thank God for the Tonks. 

Remus closed the door behind him and apparated to work. Not noticing the tension for a second, Hannah turned over to Dora and stared with wide eyes at her combat boots.

“Where'd you get those?” she practically whispered and Dora laughed. 

“I honestly don’t remember. You like them?” she said with a raised eyebrow. Hannah shook her head vigorously. 

“Yes! They’re so cool! How much were they? I should ask Daddy for-” 

“You don’t think they’re a bit too grown-up?” Lyall said with a cocky grin, keeping his friendly smile on his face when Hannah turned to look at him, disappointed. 

“I just mean they’re not exactly ladylike.” 

“Mm.” Dora pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger and sighed in an attempt to keep her mouth shut. Honestly, not even five minutes with this guy…

“That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t wear them.” Hannah said with a smile, surprising both Lyall and Dora. 

“What?” Hannah asked when she saw both their eyes on her. “Daddy says I can wear whatever I want, it doesn’t have to be ladylike just because I’m a girl.” 

Lyall snorted. “Yes, your father would say that-” 

“Okay,” Dora said with a forced smile as she pushed herself up off the couch and turned her back to Lyall. “You wanna play a round of quidditch, Hannah? I’ll keep.” 

“Sure!” 

Lyall did not get a second alone with Hannah that day, or the next, or the day after that. When Dora got called into work, Ted came over. When Ted had to work, Andromeda stopped by. It was very clear what they were doing and Lyall almost wore his teeth down to the gums grinding them out of frustration. Remus on the other hand, left the house every morning in high spirits, confident in his daughter not hearing a word against him and happy that he was spiting his father. As he walked out of the alleyway he’d apparated in to keep out of muggle’s sight, a vivid memory popped into his head of Sirius apparating on the Lupin’s doorstep the second he’d turned eighteen, just to tell Lyall that Remus would be living with him from now on. Plus a couple of suggestions of where he could stick his parenting methods. Remus remembered being half embarrassed and half proud as he followed his boyfriend down a hidden passageway to Hogsmeade, trying to convince him to stop. His heart hadn’t really been in it though and once Sirius was done telling Lyall all his colorful thoughts and their feet hit the ground next to the Hog’s Head, Remus had pulled Sirius into his arms and kissed him like they’d never kissed before. He remembered the feeling Sirius sent through his body when their lips met, like they could never possibly be close enough. As Remus walked into his dingy workplace, the bell on the door went off and he was shaken out of his thoughts. 

“Glad to see you in a good mood!” his old boss chuckled as he waddled into his own office and left Remus standing there alone, eyes wide as he realized he’d been grinning like an idiot. He shook his head as he walked around to his desk and sat down. Sirius shouldn’t still have this effect on him… Sirius was bad, he’d done bad things, he was bad. Remus repeated the words like a chant in his head as he rubbed his forehead with long fingers. 

_ Sirius would’ve never done that.  _

But Sirius did do that, Remus argued back with himself. He’d gone to Dumbledore, explored every possible option before he settled on the truth. After knowing Sirius that long and that well, he would've never thought that he was capable of the things he turned out to do. Sirius had loved James more than himself… but Sirius had lied. Remus straightened in his rickety desk chair and cleared his throat. He needed to stop thinking about him, he thought for the millionth time. The phone rang and saved Remus from hating himself when his mind inevitably wandered back to Sirius. Remus picked up the phone and put on a falsely cheery voice. 

Later that evening, Remus came home to wave Andromeda and Lyall off as they said goodbye to Hannah. Making small conversation about their day, Hannah and Remus cooked dinner together and listened to music. The record player whined an old tune that had been a favorite of Remus’ mother, Hope. Hannah smiled as Remus relaxed and his face brightened while he hummed along. Hannah had never gotten to meet Hope, she’d died in the middle of Remus’ fifth year, but she’d heard enough about her grandmother to know why she’d taken her name. Remus had many pictures of his mother around the house, almost more than the large amount he had of Sirius, James, and Peter. But nothing could outweigh the large scrapbooks James created over the years of their friendship. Hannah snorted as she pictured Harry scrapbooking her, Ron, and Hermione. Yeah, he totally would. 

As she stirred the large pot of pasta sauce, Hannah looked up at the picture of her grandmother that was tacked to the fridge. It was an older picture, but Hope had died young so it wasn’t too far off what she’d looked like shortly before the chemo. Long pale blonde hair fell down to her waist and she smiled at the camera with the same dimples Remus and Hannah had inherited. The picture wasn’t colorized, but Remus had different ones that showed the bright amber color of Hope’s eyes. Hannah always felt happy about her eyes and dimples. She knew she looked too much like her other father for her own good, Black family genes were always strong, so she treasured the unusual amber color that had overpowered the silver. Remus never told Hannah, but he held onto the color of her eyes even more than she did, helping himself compare his daughter to his mother rather than the other side of her family. Hope had also been a muggle, something the Black family would’ve hated possibly even more than if they knew of Remus’ condition. Sirius’ family had been the main reason they’d let everyone believe Hannah was Remus and Marlene’s child. The Blacks finding out about the child their heir had with a half-blood werewolf? The outcome wouldn’t have been pretty. So they’d kept quiet about Hannah’s real parentage, even though as she grew older her resemblance to her father became more and more pronounced. Remus bumped Hannah out of the way with his hip, ignoring her ‘hey!’ as he stepped over to supervise what she was doing. He smirked and nodded before turning back to his job. 

“I’m gonna start doing that to you so you’ll see how annoying it is.”

“Mhm.”

Hannah rolled her eyes and went back to humming along to the song playing. 

_ ‘ _ _ I said no one could take your place _

_ And if you get hurt _

_ By the little things I say _

_ I can put that smile back on your face’ _

The main reason Remus enjoyed muggle music so much and lived a life around muggles was because of Hope. It reminded him of his childhood, following his mother around their house and singing her muggle songs with her. It just made him comfortable to live more simply rather than depending on magic for everything. Hannah never complained, she loved magic and loved watching her father perform it but couldn’t imagine not having a dishwasher or microwave. 

_ ‘Ooh, and it's alright and it's coming along _

_ We gotta get right back to where we started from _

_ Love is good, love can be strong _

_ We gotta get right back to where started from’ _

Remus set the table while Hannah turned the volume down and they both sat at opposite sides, eating and chatting happily. After laughing maybe a bit too hard to be plausible at one of her father’s jokes, Hannah cleared her throat and looked fixedly at her plate before speaking.

“Hey, daddy, who is Nicolas Flamel?” 

Remus looked up at his daughter with a frown. 

“Nicolas Flamel?”

“Yeah.”

“Why do you ask?” 

Dammit, Hannah thought as she looked up to her father’s face and forced an innocent smile, recalling her practiced excuse before speaking. 

“Oh, just this History of Magic essay. Don’t be mad, but I fell asleep during a lecture and totally missed his explanation of who the guy was. Couldn’t find anything about him in the library either.”

Remus forced a smile down. He had absolutely no idea why Hannah wanted to know who Nicolas Flamel was and he did not accept her excuse for a second. But he remembered adventuring and sticking his nose where it didn’t belong during his years at school and couldn’t bring himself to discipline her. 

“I believe he’s an alchemist. But don’t quote me on that. Feel free to use the books in my office to look.” 

“Okay, thanks.” 

Hannah’s voice was calm but her brain whirred with this new information. An alchemist! What the hell was that? It didn’t matter, Hermione would know. Hannah stored this information for later as Remus spoke again.

“So, I got off work tomorrow and the day after for your friend to come over. Her parents agreed on her spending the rest of the holiday here and I’ll just take both of you to the train station.” 

Remus was surprised when he looked up from his plate to see Hannah poking sadly at her food. 

“Is that okay, puppy?” 

Hannah sighed before speaking. 

“Well, do you really think M-, I mean, Hermione, should come over still?” 

Dread built up in Remus’ stomach as he forced a laugh.

“Well, why wouldn’t she?” he said with a smile. 

“Because grandpa is sick. And I’m supposed to be spending time with him.” 

Rage roared in Remus’ ears but he kept it down as he put a hand on his daughters and squeezed it. She looked up at him with wide eyes and Remus took a breath to calm himself before speaking. 

“Your grandpa still has plenty of time, love. You shouldn’t worry so much. Friends are important and you still need to have them. If you’d like, your grandpa can come over for dinner and meet Hermione.” Remus said with a forced smile. Hannah brightened considerably and smiled back. 

“Yeah, okay.” she said and Remus restrained himself from sighing. He’d been hoping that today would be the last time he’d see Lyall for as long as possible. But as he looked up at his daughter’s happy face, he pushed the thoughts out of his mind. It was not her fault she cared so much for Lyall, she was a naturally caring person. It was one of her most pronounced traits, one that made him think for so long that she’d end up in Hufflepuff. He would endure Lyall for a few more days for his daughter. It was not her fault he was manipulating her. 

Hannah looked at her father while he ate silently. She’d really almost called Hermione ‘Moony’ right in front of him; the original Moony! Hannah had to be more careful, if Remus found out she had the map she wasn’t exactly sure how he would react but she didn’t think it would end with her keeping the map, which was essential. Hermione was smart enough not to call her ‘Padfoot’ in front of him, but dealing with Harry and Ron if they ever came over during the summer would be more difficult. Harry said their nicknames in almost every other sentence, he loved them so much. She’d definitely have to have a talk with her friends. 

**

“Hermione!” 

“Hannah!” 

The two girls collided on the front lawn of the Lupin cottage, perhaps a little too hard, falling to the ground and earning themselves large grass stains on the knees of their jeans. Hannah laughed as she stood and held a hand out to her friend, pulling Hermione off the ground and hugging her again. The girls rolled their eyes at their parent's teasing of their over-enthusiastic greeting and Remus grabbed Hermione’s trunk and pulled it into the house while his daughter’s friend said goodbye to her parents. Hannah followed him into the living room. 

“You could’ve just sent it up there with magic, you know.” she said as she leaned in the doorframe with her arms crossed. Remus sighed as he flicked his wand and did just that, moving it up to Hannah’s room where Hermione would be sleeping. 

“Imagine this,” he said with a smirk. “You’ve never seen real magic a day in your life and you drop your, magical, kid off with a man who immediately uses it right in front of you. Are you still leaving your kid with that man?” 

“Duh.”

“You’re impossible.” 

“I just know my kid won’t be a wimp.” 

“You’re not a wimp if you-” 

Hermione stuck her head around the door to see Hannah and Remus standing in the living room, bickering back and forth with grins on their faces. 

“Hey, Mr. Lupin, my parents want to say goodbye.” 

"Oh, of course.” Remus said as he pushed Hannah into the couch playfully, making Hermione snicker, and walking out to the couple in question. They made boring adult conversation and Hannah seized her opportunity to turn to Hermione.

“You know not to call me Padfoot in front of him, right?” 

“What?” Hermione called over her shoulder as she walked over and examined the many books that lined the walls of her friend’s home. “Oh, yeah. Duh. I’m not stupid.” 

Hannah snorted. “Well that’s news,” she said with a smirk that quickly turned into a laugh as Hermione chucked a throw pillow at her. “Kidding, kidding, all-powerful Moony! Your wisdom goes beyond any-” 

“Oh, sod off.” 

Hannah grinned at the back of her friend's head. She’d missed Hermione more than she thought she would. Not knowing how much she treasured late nights up listening to music just the pair of them while flipping through the Marauder’s Map for any new passageways or secret hideouts, Hannah had gone to bed rather lonely the past week or so, pushing down the desire to run and crawl in her Dad’s bed with him. She was at school now, much too grown for that. 

Hannah, Hermione, and Remus spent a nice night together, eating dinner and watching a movie of Hermione’s choice since she was the guest. As Remus set the table, he was pleasantly surprised to learn that Hermione was a vegetarian as well. Asking her why led to a very long rant about animal rights and cruelty in slaughterhouses and Remus listened with a polite smile. His reasoning for vegetarianism was slightly different from his daughter’s friend; turning into a bloodthirsty monster every month lessened his desire for meat when he was in his right mind but as he could not exactly tell Hermione this, he just nodded along and agreed when she paused to take a breath, pretending he already knew all of the information she was throwing at him. Remus found he liked Hermione quite a lot, she was the type of friend he expected Hannah to want and have. He couldn’t figure out exactly why, but the two girls just seemed to fit together platonically; finishing each other's sentences and stories, sharing the same level of enthusiasm and sarcasm, Hermione acting as a calming presence for Hannah when she got too hyped up. He watched as the girls ran up the stairs together, yelling a goodnight over their shoulders as they climbed. He smiled as he heard Hannah say a loud ‘and this is my room!’ and smiled even wider as he heard Hermione give a ‘woah’. He’d let Hannah decorate her room how she wanted it, getting posters, curtains, bedding, carpeting, and fairy lights for her however she wanted them. Remus tried not to think of it as spoiling his daughter, having a nice room was important after all. Plus the look on her face when she set up something new was adorable.

Hermione spun around her friend’s room and took it all in. The first thought that ran through her head when she stepped in was simply ‘color’. Hannah had a light pink carpet lining the floor and matching pink curtains, warm fairy lights strung up around the walls, a black desk, black dresser, and black nightstand that she’d covered almost entirely with different stickers, some so much the black was hardly visible. The most noticeable thing about her room was probably the posters. Lining the wall were bright-colored posters, strung up so they hung right next to each other in a straight line. She had the original movie poster for The Empire Strikes Back, a Ziggy Stardust poster, a poster of The Clash, The Beatles, and a few other bands that Hermione only recognized from the record covers Hannah always kept around. As she shut the door behind herself, Hermione saw a large blue poster tacked up to the back of the door that read: ‘National Sarcasm Society’ and at the bottom in smaller letters, ‘like we need your support’. Hermione snorted at it as she turned back to her friend. It was very corny and she honestly found it surprising that Hannah thought it good enough to hang up. But that was one thing about Hannah, there was no possible way of anticipating what she would find funny and what she wouldn’t. 

“That’s where I had my Kiss poster,” Hannah said as she threw herself down on her lilac-colored bedsheets and pointed to the empty spot next to a large mirror that Hermione hadn’t noticed before. “But obviously I had Dad send it to me. I need to get a new one for that spot.” she said thoughtfully as she squinted at the blank wall, deciding what she’d like to have there instead. Hermione walked over and sat down next to her friend, picking up a worn stuffed black dog and smiling at it. 

“And who is this?” Hermione said with a grin as Hannah blushed and rolled her eyes. 

“That’s Snuffles,” she said as she grabbed the dog back from her friend and put it by her pillow. “And he’s fragile.” 

“He looks old.”

“He is,” Hannah said with a nod. “Daddy said Harry’s Dad bought him for me when I was first born.” 

“Well isn’t that cute.” Hermione said with a grin. 

“Oh, isn’t it.” Hannah responded, doing an exaggerated impression of her friend and earning herself a smack across the head with said stuffed dog as Hermione reached over with long arms and snatched the stuffed animal from her pillow.

“Oi! I just told you he’s fragile!” Hannah yelled playfully as she took the dog back and held him against her chest. Hermione giggled at her friend’s protectiveness and looked around the room again. 

“I’ll admit, it’s a lot cleaner than I thought it would be.” she said with a smirk and Hannah stood up almost at once, setting her stuffed animal carefully on her bed before walking over to her closet.

“Oh, that’s just because Daddy told me to clean it for you. Check out my closet!” Hannah said as she swung the door open and revealed a mound of clothes, shoes, books, and other items piled together on the floor.

“Ah, that’s more like it.” 

“Thanks.” 

Hannah and Hermione joked and caught up for a while before slipping into pajamas and climbing into bed, Hannah unplugging her fairy lights as she went. They slept on the full-size mattress together with far more room than they had on the twin during their first few days at Hogwarts. Sitting sat face to face in the dark while their eyes adjusted, Hannah filled Hermione in on the new information concerning Nicolas Flamel. 

"I've definitely read that name in Hogwarts: A History." Hermione whispered excitedly. "An alchemist... I can't believe I hadn't realized it before."

"Well, I didn't even know what an alchemist was so don't feel too bad." Hannah said with a grin and Hermione giggled. 

"We'll look into it some more tomorrow." Hermione said with a nod more for herself than for Hannah. It was taking everything in her small body not to jump up and grab the large book out of her backpack, the only thing stopping her was how comfortable Hannah looked, laid out using her arm as an extra cushion while she twirled one of her stuffed dog's ears between her fingers absentmindedly. 

"Definitely." Hannah agreed and both girls were silent for a few seconds. 

“This is my first ever real sleepover.” Hermione confessed in a whisper. 

“Me too.” Hannah responded with a sad smile. 

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“You just seem like you would’ve had lots of friends before.” 

Hannah shifted in her spot before answering and Hermione blushed, realizing what she said might have been rather rude. 

“No, it’s always been just me and my Dad. I slept over at my cousin’s one time but she’s nineteen.” 

“Oh, that’s cool.” 

“Yeah, she had this roommate that let me have a sip of beer.”

“Padfoot! That’s bad!”

“Kinda, but it was just a sip. And my cousin got really mad at her for letting me have some.” 

“Well she should, you’re not old enough to have beer.”

“I guess.”

The two girls were silent for a beat or two until Hermione looked up at Hannah and saw her bright amber eyes shining through the dark. 

“What did it taste like?” Hermione whispered. Hannah grinned.

“Like piss.” 

“Ew!” 

“Yeah, it was so bad. I’m never gonna drink when I’m older.”

“Me neither.” 

The two girls fell asleep shortly after, hands entwined between the sheets, snoring softly with the stuffed black dog resting beneath them. They woke the next day refreshed and energetic, enjoying a large stack of chocolate waffles courtesy of Remus, before thundering back up the stairs to Hannah’s room to look at exactly who Nicolas Flamel was. Hermione ran over to her backpack and pulled out the giant book, ignoring Hannah’s comments about spinal fractures, and started flicking through the pages. Hannah walked over and sat down next to her, looking over her shoulder and trying not to breathe too heavily in her ear, something Hermione had complained about many times. Finally, she found what she was looking for and jumped to her feet with a squeal, knocking Hannah in the head with the large book accidentally. 

“Sorry… sorry…” Hermione said distractedly while patting Hannah’s head like she was a small dog. Rolling her eyes, Hannah stood up with her friend and waited for the fast explanation that would probably have to be repeated a few times before Hannah understood what she was saying. Hannah grinned as she watched her friend jump from foot to foot, muttering along with the words on the page as she did her weird dance. Hannah hadn’t seen her this excited since they’d gotten back the marks for their first pieces of homework. 

“Use your words, Moony.” Hannah said with a grin as Hermione spluttered. 

"Okay…  _ Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the philosopher’s stone _ !” she read off the paper dramatically. Hannah gaped at her. 

“The Philosopher's stone? No way!” 

“Yes! Yes! Look here!” Hermione practically yelled as she flung the book at her friend. Hannah read the words for herself and stood back with her mouth wide open. 

“The dog must be guarding Flamel’s stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him since-”

“Since they’re friends and he knew someone was after it, that’s why he wanted it moved out of Gringotts!” Hannah finished for her, now unconsciously imitating Hermione’s awkward dance from before as she shared her excitement. 

“This fits!” Hermione said with a wide smile as Hannah punched the air to work off the large amount of excited energy that had just entered her body. They’d finally found it! 

“I can’t wait to tell the boys!” Hannah said with a grin. 

“We’ve got to wait till tomorrow. Don’t write to them. I wanna see their faces.” Hermione said evilly. 

“Oh, definitely.” 

Hannah and Hermione spent the rest of the day in high spirits, dodging any questions from Remus about their moods when he asked with a crooked grin. Hannah taught Hermione how to play all the different positions in quidditch, except seeker which Hannah was apparently rather bad at. 

“I’ve no idea how Harry does it,” she said, shaking her head when Hermione asked. “With eyesight like his? And I need to be doing something with my hands. Moving around, you know?” 

Hermione did not know, but she shook her head politely as Hannah tried fruitlessly to show her the proper way to hold a beater’s bat. When she realized it was a lost cause, Hannah tried to get her friend to ride Stardust with her. Hermione still flat out refused. 

“Come on, Moony.” Hannah whined. “It’s so nice to ride it through the snow like this.” 

“Absolutely not.” 

“Let me at least show it to you.” Hannah said as she led Hermione back over to the shed, lifting the large blanket that covered the bike so she could see. 

“That is the scariest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.” Hermione said, standing with her arms crossed.

“Hermione!”

“I’m not wrong!”   


“Yes, you are! This is my baby!”

“Some vagina you have, to give birth to a thing like this.” 

“Moony!” Hannah gasped, her hand placed on her chest dramatically. “How vulgar!” 

“Oh, shove it, Pads.” Hermione said with a roll of her eyes and eventually convinced Hannah to go back inside away from the cold to read a book on the couch. Lyall arrived a few minutes before dinner, greeting the two girls that sat side by side, and making polite conversation with them before eating. Remus’ smile was fixed for the entire dinner as he counted down the minutes until he wouldn’t have to be in his father’s presence anymore. Lyall stayed for far too long and ate far too much for Remus’ liking, complaining about the vegetarian meal and doing everything he possibly could to get under his son’s skin without the two girls realizing what he was doing. Finally, he left and Remus sent the girls to bed early in preparation for their train ride tomorrow. They did not go to bed until the early hours of the morning, staying up and chatting about whatever came to their minds. Remus smiled to himself when he woke them the next morning and was treated to a lot of grumpy mumblings. The girls stepped out onto the platform around an hour later, bleary-eyed and ready to get back to sleep. Remus tapped Hannah politely on the shoulder as the train whistle blew and people started boarding. Hannah turned to her father and smiled. He pulled her in for a hug and she smelled the familiar scent of her childhood on his clothing; forest and the warm vanilla candles he always kept lit. 

“I’ll see you soon, puppy.” he whispered in her hair. Hannah smiled as she pulled away. 

“Thanks for a perfect Christmas, daddy,” she said with a smile that he returned. “Be sure and write!” she yelled over her shoulder as the train’s whistle blew again.

“Oh, please! I should be the one reminding you!” he yelled back. 

“Thanks for having me, Mr. Remus!” Hermione yelled and Remus grinned at the variation of his name. 

“Anytime! You two be good!” 

The train was moving now. 

“I love you, Dad!”

“I love you too, BE GOOD!” he yelled for an extra push, remembering the sketchy question about Nicolas Flamel. Hannah just laughed and waved out of the window of the compartment they’d chosen before sitting back in her seat and taking a short nap on the window while Neville joined them and talked with Hermione. They arrived around the middle of the day, Hannah’s nap had turned into a very long one and Hermione shook her as they got off the train and made their way up to the school. When they reached the doors to the Great Hall, Hannah grinned at the two heads of messy hair waiting for her, one black and unruly, the other flaming red in twisted curls. The two girls skipped over to their friends and greeted them with hugs, taking in the stuffy maroon sweaters they both wore. 

“Finally!” Harry exclaimed, startling them both as he was not one to typically yell. “I thought you’d never get here!” he said as he grabbed Hannah by the arm and began tugging her to the staircase that would lead them to Gryffindor Tower.

“Come on!” Harry yelled over his shoulder at Hermione, who picked up the pace and made it next to a very excited-looking Ron. Hannah looked over at Hermione and raised an eyebrow. She had no idea what this was about and it did not help that she was still half asleep. Hermione looked just as puzzled as Hannah felt so she turned back to watching her feet so she wouldn't trip on the steps. Harry looked over his shoulder at her again and grinned, revealing those two front canine teeth that were far too sharp. Hannah’s stomach did a little backflip and she internally shook her head, telling herself to stop being weird. 

“I have something to show you.” He practically whispered as he led her up to the portrait and gave the Fat Lady the password. 

**

The four marauders stood in the boy's dormitory with the door locked, crowded around Harry’s bed as he opened his trunk and rummaged around for a few seconds before grabbing what he'd been looking for out of the bottom and straightening with a grin. He set something shiny and silver out on his bed, carefully like it was a bomb that might go off any minute. 

“Look what I got for Christmas.” Harry said with a grin as Hannah and Hermione reached out to the silky material and felt it. 

“Harry… is this a-” 

“IT’S AN INVISIBILITY CLOAK!” Ron’s unusual silence broke and he yelled, hopping up and down as he picked up the cloak and flung it around his shoulders to demonstrate. Immediately his torso and legs disappeared, leaving a very funny image of a freckled smiling face floating in the air. 

“GREAT GODRIC IT IS!” Hannah exclaimed as she ran around the bed and yanked the cloak off Ron, throwing it over her entire body so she disappeared completely. The other three stood in silence for a moment, Harry grinning, Hermione still standing by the bed with her mouth wide open, and Ron standing in the middle of the room, whipping his head back and forth and listening for his friend. There was a strange whispering sound and Ron turned just in time to be knocked flat on his back by an invisible someone, falling onto the stone floor and immediately noticing a cushioning charm had been placed on it so he wouldn’t have broken anything. Hannah stood above him and removed the cloak, laughing with Harry and Hermione about Ron’s predicament on the stone floor. Grumbling, Ron stood and grabbed the cloak back.

“Cushioning charm.” Harry grinned at Hannah as Ron wrapped the cloak around his waist and danced around the room while Hermione giggled. Hannah rolled her eyes.

“Well, we just got it so I didn’t want to spend the rest of the day in the hospital wing. But I really needed to-”

“Needed to knock him on his ass, yeah.” 

The four marauders took turns with the cloak, seeing how many could fit in it at one time (all four managed with Ron bending his knees), putting the cloak around their heads, feet, and other limbs just to see them disappear, and turning invisible to knock each other over on the floor once the cushioning charm had been placed across the entire dorm. Hannah sat down next to Harry as she watched Ron do a sort of Irish jig with the cloak wrapped around his head, dodging Hermione as she tried to grab it from him. 

“You said you got it for Christmas?” Hannah panted, slightly out of breath from knocking her friends around. 

“Yup. With this note.” Harry said as he reached over to his nightstand and took off a small piece of paper and handed it to her. Hannah’s eyes widened as she read. 

_ Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well,  _

_ A Very Merry Christmas to you.  _

“There’s no signature.” he added as Hannah flipped the note over to read the back. 

“That’s weird.” Hannah said with a frown. “My Dad never mentioned an invisibility cloak.” 

Harry snorted. “I wouldn’t have if I was him. Imagine all the shit they got up to with that thing.” he said, nodding his head in the direction of the cloak Ron was now attempting to grab from Hermione. Hannah smiled. She supposed that was probably true. Remus hadn’t told her about the map either. 

“It’s kind of weird though.” Harry said under his breath like he was confessing something.

“What do you mean?”

“Like, who sent it? And how do we know for sure that it used to belong to him?” 

Hannah frowned at this as she reread the note. Sighing, she set it down and looked at her friend.

“I guess we don’t. I mean, I could ask my Dad about it if you want. He can’t exactly take it away from you.” 

Harry smiled at her. “Yeah, that would be nice.” he said and Hannah returned the smile. 

“Alright, I’ll write to him.” 

The four friends played with the cloak for a while longer until Hermione’s watch alerted them that it was time for dinner. They bounded down the stairs and sat at their usual spots, all rather hungry as they’d skipped lunch to check out the cloak. Hannah had just filled her mouth with a large amount of pumpkin juice to tilt her head back and gurgle it, which was always comedy gold to Harry and Ron, when she made accidental eye contact with a certain potions professor at the staff table. He was looking at her like she was something stuck to the bottom of his shoe, a look Hannah had become very familiar with over the school year. She coughed and covered an unfortunate Harry in pumpkin juice before swallowing what was left in her mouth and gasping. 

“Oi!” Harry yelled but his friend was not paying attention. 

“Oh Merlin, Moony!” Hannah exclaimed with wide eyes and Hermione looked confused. 

“What?” 

“We need to tell them!” 

Hermione’s eyes widened as Harry and Ron looked back and forth between the two girls.

“Tell us what?” Ron demanded and Harry shook his head along, now completely forgetting the large amount of pumpkin juice that covered his sweater. 

“We found out who Nicolas Flamel is!” Hermione said in a whisper as she leaned closer to the two boys so they would not be overheard. 

“You did?” Harry exclaimed, quieting when Hannah shushed him. 

“Yes, we did.” Hannah whispered with a grin as she too leaned closer to them across the table. Harry could smell cinnamon on her breath and wondered for a moment where it came from as she’d just had a large pile of chicken wings. 

“Well, who is he?” Ron whispered. 

“He’s an alchemist.” Hermione said dramatically. 

“And the only known maker of the Philosopher’s stone.” Hannah quoted from the book with the same amount of drama Hermione used. This didn’t have the effect the girls had expected. 

“The what?” Harry and Ron said together. Hannah rolled her eyes while Hermione looked offended. 

“Oh, honestly, don’t you two read?” she exclaimed before quieting down again and whispering, sounding like she’d swallowed the textbook as usual. 

“The Philosopher’s stone can transform any metal into solid gold and also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal.” 

“So,” Hannah continued with the heir of someone who was getting to something big. “We think that the stone is what Fluffy is guarding.” 

Both the boys' eyes widened.

“Probably!” Ron said excitedly. “That fits!”

“A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying? No wonder Snape wants to steal it! Anyone would want it!” Harry said with a smile and the four friends spent the rest of dinner discussing what they’d do with the stone if they had one. It wasn’t until Ron said he’d probably buy his own quidditch team that Harry remembered he had practice that night and ran up to the dorm to get changed while his friends waited for him by the Great Hall. A few minutes later, Harry came bounding down the stairs in his athletic clothing (an old black Queen t-shirt from Hannah and a pair of grey joggers from Ron, as when they’d seen his extra clothing from Dudley, they’d decided his need was greater than theirs) and the four friends set off to the quidditch pitch, huddling close together to keep away from the cold. Hannah, Ron, and Hermione set out to the stands, waving goodbye to Harry as he grabbed his Nimbus from the shed and walked over to where Wood was starting practice. Hermione put a warming charm on their bench and the three friends sat down to watch Harry practice. Wood worked the team harder than ever, continuing practice even when it started pouring and Hannah, Ron, and Hermione moved up to where they were covered by the awning. They watched in silence as Harry caught the snitch again, and again, and again, the rain not deterring him even slightly. Hannah smiled as he made a rather spectacular catch, flipping his broom around and snatching it out of the air. She still had no idea how he did that. Practice went on for quite some time, until the players got visibly fed up with their captain and stopped paying attention. 

“Will you stop messing around!” Wood yelled angrily at the Weasley twins as they’d been taking turns dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms. “That’s exactly the kind of thing that will lose us the match! Snape’s refereeing this time, and he’ll be looking for a reason to knock points off Gryffindor!” 

George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words. 

“Snape’s refereeing?” he spluttered through a mouthful of mud. “When’s he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He’s not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin.” 

The rest of the team landed next to George to complain too, and Hannah, Ron, and Hermione leaned over the bleachers as they’d heard Wood’s exclamation. 

“It’s not my fault.” Wood said with a sigh. “We’ve just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn’t got an excuse to pick on us.” 

Harry thought they could play as clean of a game as possible and Snape would still find a reason to take points. He was also concerned about Snape being that close to him while he was playing quidditch… 

Wood released the team earlier than he’d wanted to since all their spirits were dampened by the news. Walking back up to the castle, Harry shared his opinions on Snape. 

“Don’t play,” Hermione said at once. 

“Say you’re ill,” Ron said. 

“Lose your broom for a day or two and we’ll steal all the spare brooms and set them on fire,” Hannah said helpfully. 

“Pretend to break your leg,” Hermione suggested. 

“Really break your leg,” Ron said. 

“Ooh, good one. Here, Prongs, put your leg up on this.” Hannah said as she jumped up on a banister and nodded for Harry to join. “I’ll hold it and Wormtail can jump on it. We’ll get it out of the way now.” 

“I can’t,” Harry said while rolling his eyes. Ron pushed Hannah off the banister playfully and she jumped up and tackled him, bumping into Hermione who scoffed and shoved the pair back. “There isn’t a reserve seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can’t play at all.” Harry said as he continued to lead the way up to Gryffindor Tower, ignoring his friend’s scuffle behind him. Hannah laughed and skipped over to him, throwing an arm around his shoulder. 

“It’ll be fine, Prongs,” she said with a grin. “Moony will be there to set him on fire if he tries anything.” she half-joked and Harry felt slightly better as they made it to Gryffindor Tower and settled down in their usual seats, Ron taking out their chessboard and convincing Hermione to play. Hermione still was too timid when playing wizard’s chess and almost always lost, something Harry and Ron thought was very good for her. Hannah and Harry were making fun of their friends playing while lounging in the seats next to them. 

“Will you two fuck off for a second.” Ron said as he furrowed his brow and tried to figure out what piece of Hermione’s to take next. There were so many options… Ron smiled slightly to himself at Hermione’s style of playing. She was so good at everything else, he thought it was weird she couldn’t seem to comprehend wizard’s chess. Hermione smiled too as she watched Ron look over their pieces. His maroon sweater looked very cute on him and she blushed to herself for thinking it as he cleared his throat and made his knight move to take two of her pawns. Hannah and Harry just laughed harder at Ron's comment and continued to tease when he looked over and scowled at them. 

“We’re trying to concen-” 

At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone’s guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor Tower. Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione, who leapt up and performed the countercurse. Neville’s legs sprang apart and he got up to his feet, trembling. 

“What happened?” Hermione asked kindly as she walked him over to sit with Harry, Hannah, and Ron. 

“Malfoy,” Neville responded shakily. “I met him outside the library. He said he’d been looking for someone to practice that on.” 

“Go to Professor McGonagall!” Hannah and Hermione urged in unison. 

Neville shook his head. 

“I don’t want to cause any trouble.” he mumbled. 

“You’ve got to stand up to him, Neville!” Ron said and the three other friends nodded in agreement. “He’s used to walking all over people, but that’s no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier.” 

“There’s no need to tell me I’m not brave enough for Gryffindor, Malfoy’s already done that.” Neville choked out as tears welled in his eyes. Hannah frowned and reached over to cover his chubby hand with hers. 

“No one said you aren’t brave enough for Gryffindor, Neville.” she said comfortingly and Neville looked up at her, a hopeful expression on his face. “Gryffindors are all brave in their own ways. If you didn’t have bravery in your heart, the hat wouldn’t have put you here. You think Hermione wouldn’t fit in at Ravenclaw? Or Ron in Hufflepuff? They’d thrive there, but the hat put them in Gryffindor still. That reckless bravery wins every time. You have it in you too, you’ll see.” Hannah finished as Neville smiled at her and forced back tears. Harry rummaged in the bag that sat open between their legs on the floor and pulled out the last of their chocolate frog stache, handing it to Neville who looked like he might faint. 

“You’re worth twelve of Malfoy. Like Hannah said, the sorting hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn’t it? And where’s Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin.” Harry said with a smile as Neville’s lips twitched up at the corners in a weak smile. He unwrapped the frog and caught it in his hands as it jumped out at him. 

“Thanks, you guys… I think I’ll go to bed… D’you want the card, Harry? You collect them, don’t you?” 

Harry shook his head yes and Neville handed him the box and stumbled off to the boy’s dormitory, letting large tears roll down his cheeks as he climbed. Draco had been so mean today… but Hannah and Harry’s words steeled him and he wiped the tears off his face defiantly as he bit the head of the frog and sat down on his bed. He was worth twelve of Draco! Especially if Harry Potter thought so. 

Back in the common room, Harry flipped over the card Neville had handed to him. 

“Dumbledore again,” He mumbled to Hannah as she craned her neck over his shoulder to look at who it was. Pouting as she'd been hoping for a Scamander, Hannah flung herself back in her seat as Harry scanned the card absentmindedly. “He was the first one I ever-” 

He gasped. 

“What is it?” Ron said before turning back to his game with Hermione, much to Hermione’s dismay, who’d been hoping he would forget they were playing. 

“Look at this… I’m so stupid! I can’t believe I didn’t notice it before!” Harry said as he smacked a hand to his forehead. “‘Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon’s blood,  _ and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel!’ _ ”

Harry grinned around at his friends. 

“This is where I’d seen it before!”

Hannah snorted. 

“Lot of good it does us now.” she said with a grin and Harry sighed as he sat back in his seat with a smile, shaking his head. 

“Still, it was really bothering me.” he said and Hermione raised her eyebrow at him.

“Hold on, so you’ve had a card with his name on it since the beginning of school and none of us saw it?” she said.

“Uh, yeah.” Harry said with a shrug. “I just keep my cards in my dresser drawer.” 

“Your dresser drawer that you open every morning?”

“Yeah.”

“And it NEVER crossed your mind to look over them just in case?” Hermione said with an exasperated expression. Harry just shrugged again and Hannah laughed. 

“Remember I compared YOU to Ravenclaw just then, Moony. Not our Prongs.” she said and Harry reached over and punched her in the arm, the chocolate frog card falling to the floor, forgotten, as the two friends wrestled.

**

The next morning in Defense Against the Dark Arts the four friends sat side by side, copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites. Hannah never looked up at the board once as she took the notes, her hand flying across the paper while Harry and Ron dawdled. Hermione looked over at her friend and her fast note-taking and raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Knowing Hannah, she’d probably thought werewolves were cool when she was younger and gotten momentarily obsessed, reading everything about them that she could get her hands on. Hannah’s knowledge of random things fluctuated a lot; there was no way of telling what she’d have an overwhelming amount of information about and what she’d find boring and the same went for Harry. Hannah tapped the end of her paper with her quill when she was done taking notes, letting her mind wander to her father. The full was next week and though she’d spent many months at Hogwarts now, she never got comfortable being away from him the day after. She sighed and doodled on her paper; a small moon, a rat, a pair of antlers, and a single paw pad. She showed it to her friends when she was done and they all smiled and complimented it, Harry ripping the part with the drawing off and stuffing it in his pocket. Hannah grinned at him. 

“Gonna scrapbook it?” 

“Huh?”

“Oh, nevermind.” 

Harry glanced at his friend out of the corner of his eye when she went back to drawing. She flipped her curtain of black hair out of her face as she got closer to the paper so she could read her writing. As the hair flew past Harry’s face, he caught a whiff of the coconut conditioner Hannah used religiously and he tried not to sit too close to her as the class went on. Harry didn’t think it was weird that watching his friend tuck her hair behind her ear and trace the words on her page with her lips as she read them gave him a funny feeling in his chest, like his heart was trying to jump out of it. Next to him, Ron was thinking along the same lines as he sat with his chin propped up on his hand, watching Hermione’s neat handwriting cover her page. Hermione looked up and raised an eyebrow at him, causing him to go a nice shade of pink with panic before turning to Harry and starting up a very staged conversation about quidditch. Harry grunted and took his eyes off Hannah, who had remained blissfully unaware that she’d been stared at. Talk of quidditch reminded Harry of the Snape predicament and the coming match. 

“I’m going to play,” he told them, Hannah and Hermione looking up from their writing to listen. “If I don’t, all the Slytherins will think I’m just too scared to face Snape. I’ll show them… it’ll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win.” Harry said determinedly, staring down the pale blonde head of hair that sat a few seats in front of him. 

“Just as long as we’re not wiping you off the field.” Hermione said. 

“Thanks, Moony.”

"You're welcome."

As the match drew nearer, Harry got less confident about the Gryffindor win, whatever he told his friends. The rest of the team wasn’t too calm either. The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the house championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years, but would they be allowed to, with such a biased ref? According to Hannah, there was a bigger chance of Dumbledore secretly being the giant squid, just dressed in a skin suit. This was not encouraging. 

Harry did not know if he was imagining it or not, but he seemed to keep bumping into Snape wherever he went. At times, he even wondered if Snape was following him, trying to catch up with him on his own. Potions lessons were turning into weekly torture, Snape was so horrible to Hannah and Harry. After a particularly nasty lesson where Draco and Snape practically tagged-teamed the two black-haired friends with insults, Hannah stormed out of the class almost in tears, mumbling about writing to her father. Hannah wasn’t one to run to Remus when something wasn’t going her way, but Snape had started hinting at her parentage and Hannah really didn’t want the entire school to find out who Sirius Black was to her. Hannah had absolutely no idea how Snape would have known about Sirius, but there was no other explanation for him referring to Harry as ‘famous’ and her as ‘infamous’. Remus wrote back the next day, informing Hannah that he’d already been planning a trip up to the school when he could get off work and would be talking to him shortly. This seemed to cheer Hannah up considerably, and she beamed around at everyone she came in contact with while she let Harry read the portion of Remus’ letter that explained that James did have an invisibility cloak when he was at school and would they please use it responsibly. Harry was happy to see that the cloak truly had been his father’s, but the back of his mind still buzzed with worry over Snape. Could the potions professor possibly know they’d found out about the stone? Harry didn’t see how he could… yet sometimes he got the horrible feeling that Snape could read minds. 

The morning of the match, Hannah encouraged Harry to eat again the same way she had before, biting off a piece of the toast before handing it to him so he could eat the rest. The four friends walked down to the pitch together after breakfast, Harry dressed in his quidditch uniform. They waved goodbye and separated at the locker rooms, Harry walking in behind Angelina and Hannah, Ron, and Hermione making their way up to the stands to stand next to Neville, who couldn’t understand why they all looked so grim and had brought their wands to the match. Harry did not know that his three friends had been secretly practicing the Leg-Locker curse on each other after getting the idea from Draco using it on Neville. They kept their wands tight on their sides as people filled the stands, ready to use it on Snape if he showed any signs of wanting to hurt Harry. At least, any more signs than usual. 

“Now, don’t forget, it’s  _ Locomotor Mortis _ .” Hermione muttered under her breath to her two friends. 

“I know.” Ron snapped. “Don’t nag.” 

Hannah probably would’ve stepped on Ron’s foot or punched him in the arm if she’d been paying attention but her eyes were focused on the stands where the commentator and staff sat, wide with glee.

“Look! “ Hannah said with a smile as she pointed towards the stands. “It’s Dumbledore!” 

It was indeed. Dumbledore sat next to Minerva, silver beard shining brightly in the sunlight. 

“Well, fuck me!” Ron said with a laugh as he visibly relaxed. Next to him, Hermione was jumping up and down. 

“We’ve got nothing to worry about!” she said with a large smile on her face. “Snape wouldn’t dare hurt Harry with Dumbledore watching!” 

Perhaps Snape was thinking along the same lines as the team marched out onto the field in a straight line. He looked angrier than usual, something Ron noticed immediately. 

“I’ve never seen Snape look so mean.” He commented. “Look… they’re off. Ouch!” 

Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Draco. 

“Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn’t see you there.” Draco smirked at the redhead as he sat down with Crabbe and Goyle beside him. Hannah wrinkled her nose in disgust when Crabbe’s knee grazed her back. 

“Wonder how long Potter’s going to stay on his broom this time? Anyone wanna bet? What about you, Lupin? 

Hannah didn’t answer, just ground her teeth together in an attempt to keep herself silent. She’d had a long talk with Hermione the other day about how Draco was only ever trying to get a reaction out of her and if she responded she was just giving him what he wanted. Hermione smiled at her friend’s unusual silence and squeezed her hand under their robes. Hannah found ignoring Draco a bit easier when Snape drew her attention by awarding Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a bludger at him. 

“OH COME ON YOU FU-” 

“Hannah, don’t provoke him!” Hermione yelled as she grabbed her friend and pushed her back in her seat, away from the edge of the stands where she’d been leaning over before. Hannah grumbled as she straightened in her seat and let her eyes wander over to Harry, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the snitch. Draco snorted at Hannah’s dramatic response and decided to speak again. 

“You know how I think they chose people for the Gryffindor quidditch team?” Draco said in his drawling voice. 

“No one gives a damn what you think, Malfoy.” Hannah said and chose to discard the kick from Hermione. 

Draco ignored her. 

“It’s people they feel sorry for. See, there’s Potter, who’s got no parents, then there’s the Weasleys, who’ve got no money…”

“Shut up, Malfoy.” Hannah growled. 

“...you should be on the team, Longbottom, you’ve got no brains.” Draco continued anyway. 

Neville went bright red but turned in his seat so he was facing the three Slytherins. 

“I’m worth twelve of you, Malfoy.” he stammered. 

Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, who still had his eyes glued to the game spoke up. 

“You tell him, Neville.” he said encouragingly and Hannah clapped Neville on the back proudly. 

“Good job, Neville. Taking Harry’s advice.” she said the last sentence while making direct eye contact with Draco and he paled slightly before snarling, now irritated. 

“If brains were gold you two would be poorer than the Weasleys, and that’s saying something.” 

Ron and Hannah were both stretched to a breaking point, especially Hannah who had to resort to counting in her head and steadying her breathing. Draco noticed and let out a laugh that sounded more like a small animal being stepped on. 

“Talking to yourself, Lupin?” he exclaimed with a grin, nudging Crabbe and Goyle at his sides to get them to laugh. Hannah rolled her eyes as they chuckled at her. 

“Lupin… more like Loopy, eh?” Draco said and Hannah turned a delicate shade of red at the variation of her name. Ron noticed and growled. 

“I’m warning you, Malfoy.... one more word…” 

“Look, you two!” Hermione said suddenly. “Harry!” 

“What? Where?” Hannah and Ron said in unison. Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood out of her seat, her fingers crossed in her mouth, as Harry streaked toward the ground like a bullet. 

“You’re in luck, Weasley, Potter’s obviously spotted some money on the ground!” Draco exclaimed. 

Ron snapped. 

Before Draco knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, wrestling him to the ground. Neville hesitated, then clambered over the back of his seat to help. Hannah raised her eyebrows as she watched Neville plunge into Crabbe and Goyle. Gryffindor bravery indeed. She grinned and jumped into the fight as well. 

_ Finally.  _

Hannah thought happily as she sunk her fist into Draco’s jaw while simultaneously sticking her leg between Goyle and Neville as the six students wrestled on the ground. Hannah had never been in a fight before but she thought she was doing okay for her first time. It was rather fun, actually. Adrenaline rushed through her veins and she couldn’t feel any of the hits she was receiving or giving, though she knew she probably would later. Hannah really wanted to hit Draco but Ron had him handled, the two boys wrestling around on the floor relatively evenly matched. So she flung herself back into Crabbe and Goyle, kicking and punching whatever she could while trying to stay away from Neville. Crabbe and Goyle grunted as her hits collided and stumbled around stupidly, not knowing if they could hit her back or not. Neville took their minds off Hannah with two swift kicks for each of them, turning their attention to the chubby boy as Hannah launched herself on Goyle’s back, a similar picture to Harry jumping on the giant troll forever ago. 

“Come on, Harry!” Hermione screamed, leaping onto her seat to watch as Harry sped towards Snape, blissfully unaware of Ron and Draco rolling around under her seat or the whirl of fists and grunts that was Neville, Crabbe, Goyle, and Hannah. 

Ron was also having fun, his fantasies of punching Draco wherever he could reach him were being fulfilled happily, and while he’d never been in a real fistfight, he’d had a few scuffles with Fred and George so he knew where to hit to hurt the pale boy as much as possible. Draco, however, may or may not have been coddled from a young age and babied by his mother for the majority of his life. He was a Slytherin though, so he held his ground against the redhead reasonably well, choosing to recreate his own fantasy of punching Ron directly in the nose. Neville had never been in a fight either but Hannah’s encouraging shouts and actual laughter at times drove him further to try and dodge the many hits Crabbe and Goyle were raining down on him.

Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches. The next second, Harry pulled out of the dive, his hand raised in triumph, the snitch grasped firmly in his fist. The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the snitch being caught so quickly. 

“Ron! Hannah! Where are you? The game’s over! Prongs’ won! We’ve won! Gryffindor is in the lead!” Hermione shrieked as she danced up and down in her seat and hugged Parvati Patil, who was sitting in the row in front.

Harry jumped off his broom, a foot from the ground. His heart pounded with glee. He’d done it… the game was over… it had barely lasted five minutes. As Gryffindors came spilling out onto the field, Hannah, Ron, and Hermione making straight towards them just like they’d done the game before, Hannah sporting a bloody lip and Ron a heavy nosebleed, he saw Snape land nearby. White-faced and tight-lipped, he spat bitterly on the ground and Harry felt the urge to laugh. Harry looked up when a hand placed itself on his shoulder. 

“Well done. A good win for Gryffindor.” Dumbledore said with a smile and Harry stumbled back slightly, pleased but shocked that the headmaster was speaking to him.   


After the usual crowding and cheering that made Harry’s skin crawl, he made his way to the locker rooms alone and stayed there for a short time, waiting for everyone to clear out as he replayed the happy memories of landing on the grass after catching the snitch in his head. He sat until he was sure everyone was gone, then left the rooms to take his Nimbus to the broom shed. He couldn’t ever remember feeling happier, except maybe at the picnic after he’d been made seeker. But now he’d really done something to be proud of… no one could ever say he was just a famous name any more. The evening air never smelled so sweet. He walked over the damp grass, daydreaming happily about the last hour's events as he reached the shed and leaned against it, looking up into the brightly lit windows of Hogwarts and smiling happily. He’d done it, he’d shown Snape… and speaking of Snape…

A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Harry frowned as he recognized Snape’s walk. Snape, sneaking into the forest while everyone else was at dinner, obviously not wanting to be followed.... naturally, Harry followed him. Jumping on the back of his Nimbus he took off and flew silently over the castle, keeping his eyes on Snape as he entered the forest at a run. The trees were so thick he couldn’t see where Snape had gone. He flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until he heard voices. He glided toward them and landed noiselessly in a towering branch tree. Harry peered through the leaves and set his eyes on the small clearing where Snape was standing with… Quirrell? 

“... d-don’t know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus…” 

“Oh, I thought we’d keep this private,” Snape said, his voice icy and mean. “Students aren’t supposed to know about the Philosopher's stone, after all.” 

Harry excitedly leaned forward, straining his neck to hear better as Quirrell mumbled something and Snape cut him off. 

“Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid’s yet?” 

“B-b-but Severus, I-” 

“You don’t want me as your enemy, Quirrell.” Snape said, taking a step towards him. 

“I-I don’t know w-what you-”

“You know perfectly well what I mean.” 

An owl hooted loudly and Harry nearly fell out of the tree. He steadied himself in time to hear Snape say…

“-your little bit of hocus pocus. I’m waiting.” 

“B-but I d-d-don’t-” 

“Very well,” Snape cut in. “Don’t waste my time. We’ll have another little chat soon, I’ll give you time to think things over and decide where your loyalties lie since Minerva needs to see me. Something about a parent-teacher meeting…” 

And with that Snape drew his cloak and set off out of the clearing. Harry paused to see Quirrell’s petrified face through the dark before flying off back to the school to tell his friends what he'd seen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Right Back Where We Started From by Maxime Nightingale.


	11. About A Girl - Year One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the Philosopher's stone.

Remus sat in one of the two straight-backed wooden chairs that were lined up facing Minerva’s desk, picking at the stray strings that frayed at the end of his worn sweater absentmindedly. He’d gotten off work a few hours earlier to see Minerva’s owl delivering a response, telling him to just come during dinner since she and Snape would be free. Plus she knew he would want to see Hannah, and if he came during a school day they wouldn’t be able to pull her out of class. So Remus floo’d to Minerva’s office and sat down in the chair opposite her, telling her everything Hannah had told him. Minus the ‘trying to kill Harry’ which he didn’t think would be very relevant. Remus knew Snape was bad, but not that bad, and he hoped his daughter and her friend’s imaginations when it came to accusing the potions professor wouldn’t lead to any trouble. He just wanted to talk about his daughter being treated equally in class and while he may also have to use his polite persona to keep from punching Snape straight in the face for bringing up Sirius, he expected things to say civil. Remus knew that he hadn’t been exactly fair to Snape in their years of Hogwarts, never stopping Sirius or James when they went too far (though how people expected him to have any sort of authority over them he had no idea), and letting things continue with Sirius and Snape after James ‘matured’. He wasn’t blameless and he knew that part of the reason Snape had been so horrible to his daughter was because of him which made him guilty no matter what his opinions were on the Slytherin.

Nevertheless, Hannah had done nothing to Snape. Knowing his daughter, she’d walked into class with an open mind, possibly even giving him a polite smile or calling him sir. Remus’ mother had always taught him that manners were important and he’d done his best to pass it on to his daughter and thought she did pretty well for someone her age. He knew that she did not deserve the treatment she’d been receiving and knew that Harry didn’t either. Remus had, of course, asked Hannah why she never wrote to him about the bullying and she’d just shrugged, saying she didn’t think there would be any point in complaining. The fact that she HAD complained, going as far as writing Remus twice in one day, meant that Snape had struck a nerve with his daughter which brought the natural protective instinct the wolf always gave Remus closer to the surface. So he grounded himself talking to Minerva, focusing on every aspect of her face and her being there to keep him from imagining turning his old classmate into a puddle of grease on the floor. 

Minerva’s lips grew thinner and thinner as Remus shared what his daughter had told him and he was only slightly surprised when he finished his recalling and she waved her wand, a silver cat shooting out of the end of it to undoubtedly summon Snape. They waited in silence together, Remus picking at the sleeve of his sweater more nervously than before. He’d been expecting to speak to Snape, of course, that’s why he was there, but no matter what confrontation always made him nervous, even if he was the one seeking it. Remus felt rather childish waiting for him, clicking his heels together impatiently and pulling at the strings of his sweater. He looked around the room to distract himself, smiling as memories flooded his mind.

His first day of first year, being called in here to have his situation explained and trying not to tear up when Minerva told him she was very excited to have him as a student. A few months into first year, sitting with his head hung by Sirius and James as they argued that just because Moaning Myrtle had told her it was them that stole all the toilet paper out of her bathroom to hang decoratively around the entrance to the Slytherin dorm didn’t technically mean it was them. Third year, trying to explain that they had no clue who had put a permanent sticking charm on Snape's shoes when he was sitting in the library. Fifth year, crying into his hands and mumbling incoherently about why his boyfriend would think it okay to use him as a weapon, fifth year back again, getting the news that his mother had died and almost collapsing in on himself, being thankful that he’d caved and forgiven Sirius the month before since he really had no idea how he would’ve pulled through without him. 

Tears welled up at the bottom of Remus’ eyes and he cleared his throat while blinking repeatedly to keep them at bay. The full had passed a week ago; that had been the thing holding Remus back from talking to Snape the most as he didn’t want to do it before when his emotions were so high that he might start bawling and throwing things or the few days after the moon where he’d be too tired to even be mad and probably would’ve let Snape insult everything he held dear to his heart without batting an eye. So he’d waited until he felt fully himself to write to Minerva and ask for a meeting and now he sat, getting slightly irritated at Snape taking so long to answer Minerva’s call. He didn’t even know Remus was waiting for him, he’d be thinking it was just Minerva wanting to talk to him. What could be taking up his time? 

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the door swung open and Snape stepped in, shutting the door behind him before looking around the room to greet Minerva. It took everything in Remus not to laugh when he saw the look on Snape’s face when he saw him in the room as well. Remus knew if James had been there, he wouldn’t have stopped talking about it for weeks. Snape’s nostrils flared and he froze where he stood, staring at Remus like he’d slapped him with his presence, his lip curling in disgust when he finally calmed down about who it was. 

Remus did his best not to laugh as he stood and greeted Snape, meeting no response. But in all honesty, he had not expected one. 

“You needed to see me, Minerva.” Snape said, purposely ignoring Remus’ outstretched hand so he’d pull it away. Remus did and Minerva held back a sigh. How old were they now? 

“Yes, have a seat Severus.” 

Snape walked over to the second wooden chair and sat himself down as Remus did the same. He had a feeling that he knew what this was about and he tapped his index finger and thumb together, out of sight from Remus, the only sign of agitation or nervousness Severus ever allowed himself. 

“May I ask what this is about?” Snape asked, keeping his face perfectly straight. Minerva opened her mouth to speak but Remus cut her off, turning in his seat so he entirely faced Snape. 

“Yes, I’d like to talk about my daughter and the treatment she’s been receiving in your class.” Remus said in the best polite voice he could muster while looking into those beady black eyes that turned to look at him as he spoke, narrowing in dislike. 

“Oh?” Snape said while he raised an eyebrow. Remus forced down the anger that rose in his throat at the response and smiled sweetly back, taking pride when Snape’s lip curled again. 

“Yes,” Remus said with a nod of his head. He’d always been good at stuffing down his nervousness when there was a confrontation and though he could feel his fingers shaking slightly, he did not show it in his voice or face. “I’m aware Professor Dumbledore trusted you with the information of Hannah’s real parentage after you turned for our side during the war. Exactly why it was relevant, I’m not sure, but since you know, I understand your decision making may be clouded with that fact. You see, I’d been worried about how she would be treated under you as a Professor, I’m sure you understand why. So I asked her about the kind of Professor you are and she told me everything. The comments, the excessive point taking, the unreasonable punishments, you know, the unfair treatment. I’m also aware you’ve been treating Harry the same way and while I’m not responsible for the boy, I have spoken to him and he is, overall, a good kid who something terrible happened to. He does not deserve to be bullied by someone in a position of power over him. And neither does my daughter.” 

As Remus spoke, Snape’s lips got thinner and thinner and he tapped his finger consistently with the words his old classmate was speaking as his vision went black around the edges with anger. 

“I know you dislike me and I know you disliked James and Sirius. But I’m telling you, not asking, to treat your position over these children with respect. You are a teacher. You are not a teenager still being bullied. While I’m sure your years at Hogwarts were very difficult, you are no longer living in them and you cannot act out your revenge on the children of the men who hurt you, as they’ve done nothing wrong.” 

“That’s not true.” Snape said suddenly, his hand had been curled into a fist ever since James’ name was spoken. Remus raised his eyebrows. 

“I beg your pardon?” 

“I do not abuse my power over your daughter or the boy. They are both equally disrespectful and already show strong resemblances to their parentage, whatever your daughter told you was a lie. I’m sure you remember hearing those from her father.” 

Remus’ lip twitched in slight irritation before breaking out into its previous polite smile. He turned to Minerva.

“Is this true?” he asked and Minerva raised an eyebrow at him. “Are the children disrespectful? Have you gotten reports from other teachers? Has Severus here himself ever actually reported either of them?” 

Minerva got the strong urge to sigh but pushed it down, keeping her face and voice calm and professional while she spoke to the two men that she’d know since they were small eleven-year-olds. 

“From Harry, I’ve asked around for reports from different teachers and have heard nothing but good things. The boy is polite, quiet, and while slightly talkative when around friends, he’s had no trouble minus the troll incident.” Minerva’s lip twitched at that, realizing that it was quite a large amount of trouble. 

“And from Hannah, minus the troll incident as well, she’s gotten reports of being polite, sociable, and focused on her schooling, while only somewhat too energetic and talkative at times. There have been no reports of disrespect towards teachers or other students, and definitely no pranks.” Minerva finished and the two men sitting across from her had polar opposite expressions on their faces; Remus’ mingled with pride and happiness while Snape’s was curled in a furious expression. She resisted the urge to sigh again. 

“So, I think that’s enough to-” Remus started but Snape cut him off. 

“Both children show levels of arrogance that rival even their father’s and as a teacher, I feel I’m using my position well for the two students. Your daughter answered her first question in my class disrespectfully and I hope you realize I’ve been teaching here for quite some time and have practice punishing students correctly. If your daughter is insufferable, then your daughter is insufferable, and it is my job as a teacher to discipline as I see fit.” Snape said it all making direct eye contact with Remus, wanting to see any sign of irritation or anger as he insulted his daughter. The bright amber revealed nothing as usual and when Remus spoke his voice was calm and collected, though his polite smile from earlier had completely disappeared. 

“I trust you’ll understand if I think your opinion is biased, Severus. I’m sure your teaching and discipline skills are above average but they are not being used correctly on my daughter or James’ son and that will stop here and now. They are children. Even if they were replicas of their fathers, they would need your position of power to be used as guidance instead of bullying. I will talk to my daughter about any disrespect she has shown you for your sake, but I expect it to end on your side as well. Remember as a parent I reserve the right to visit and supervise during classes and if my daughter writes again, I’ll see you during your next class period.” Remus’ voice was steady and betrayed none of his real feelings which did nothing but infuriate Snape, who stayed silent as Remus turned to Minerva and asked if dinner would be ending soon so he could see his daughter. Snape stood and said goodbye to Minerva before she could respond to Remus and he walked as calmly as possible to the door and left, leaving Remus and Minerva behind to share a glance. 

“I really do feel guilt for what happened during our school years.” Remus said suddenly, staring at the closed door that Snape had just disappeared behind. “No matter his views or shared hatred of us, he didn’t deserve the treatment he got.” 

“I know.” Minerva said quietly and Remus sighed as he turned to look at her.

“But our kids weren’t involved with that and bullying just because he got bullied will cause nothing but problems.”

“I know, Remus. You don’t have to tell me. And I’ll keep a closer eye out from now on, I think you coming up to the school for all his classes would only result in worse attitudes from both sides.” 

“You’re probably right about that.” 

The two sat and talked for a while until dinner time was coming to a close. They stood together, walking out to the Great Hall to catch Hannah and her friends before they left for their dormitory for the night. Remus stood and glanced around at the familiar hallway, his heart filling despite himself. It was always good to be back. 

Minerva spotted the four friends first and pointed to the small group that was headed towards them, led by a dirty Harry who was still dressed in his quidditch uniform. He was talking very fast and using his hands a lot as he spoke, Remus was reminded forcibly of James and hoped against hope that Harry wasn’t talking about anything that would make what he’d said in Minerva’s office invalid. Remus smiled as he saw Hannah standing on Harry’s left, listening to every word he said with rapt attention and adding things excitedly when he paused to take a breath. Hermione saw Remus first and smiled politely at him before nudging Hannah with her elbow, pointing him out to her. Hannah’s face broke out in a large dimpled smile when she saw her father and she gave a shout of joy as she ran over to him and gave him a hug. 

“Hey, puppy!” he laughed as she pulled away and stepped back, grinning at him while her three friends showed up behind her and stood there, both boys looking awkward while Hermione greeted him as well. Remus shook hands with Ron and Harry, introducing himself again and trying not to raise an eyebrow when he saw the dried blood around Ron’s nose. He looked down at his daughter as she babbled about how she didn’t think he’d come this late and if he was spending the night and how the meeting had gone. He noticed now the swollenness of her bottom lip and frowned as he stuck his middle and index finger underneath her chin and pulled her face up so he could see her lip better. Hannah smiled and shoved him away, revealing a chip in one of her front teeth. 

“Hannah! What did you do to your mouth?” he questioned and Hannah laughed again as she opened her mouth and pushed on her front tooth, making it wiggle. Hermione fake gagged behind her. 

“It’s loose anyways.” she commented before looking up at her Dad and smiling. He was staring at her with an eyebrow raised and his arms crossed, looking too serious for her to take him, well… serious. Hannah rolled her eyes. 

“Ron and I were play-fighting on the way back from the match,” Hannah said simply and Ron grinned sheepishly, trying to look like this information wasn’t new to him. “We fell into the Ravenclaw stands and he accidentally punched me in the mouth. It’s okay though because I got his nose.” she said and Remus raised his eyebrows at the both of them, Ron turning bright red, for some reason uncomfortable meeting his friend’s father for the first time under the impression that he’d punched his daughter squarely in the face. Remus just laughed, making Ron relax.

“Looks like he won, if you ask me.” Remus joked. 

“No! He just wiped the blood off. There was a lot more before.” Hannah said defensively, knowing that even though she and Ron never actually fought, she’d still have to have won.

“So why didn’t you wipe your blood off?” Remus questioned with a grin that grew wider when his daughter’s hand shot up to her mouth. Next to her, Harry grinned.

“Yeah, why didn’t you?” Harry repeated and Hannah blushed, mumbling so none of them could really hear her. Hermione giggled at her friend.

“She thought it looked cool.” 

“No!”

“Yeah, that’s definitely it.” 

“Without a doubt.” 

Remus smiled happily at his daughter’s interactions with her friends and they stood there for a few more minutes catching up before the hall was completely empty and curfew was almost up for the first years. He argued back and forth with Hannah about sleeping in the girl’s dormitory with her before he said goodbye to all four of them and walked out to the Hogwarts gate so he could disapparate home. Overall, it had been a good day. He was relatively confident that Snape would be leaving Hannah and Harry alone and he’d gotten to see them both, plus meet Ron, who he’d heard a lot about. He smiled to himself as he kicked off his shoes and made a strong cup of tea. Seeing Hannah at school with her friends made the realization of her growth hit him all of a sudden and he walked over to her baby pictures and grinned at the chubby baby that sat inside the frame. He’d done this by himself, and there was something more to that than it would've been if he raised Hannah with someone else, Remus thought to himself, not allowing Sirius’ name to cross his mind even though he’d spoken it out loud earlier that night. There was more pride in his managing to get her this far by himself and it made him feel more human as he sat back and flipped through the old photo album James had made of Harry and Hannah in their first year of life. 

What he’d give to talk to James right now… Remus leaned his head back against the chair as he watched as a pair of brown hands grabbed the stuffed black dog from his daughter and moved his arms like a puppet, making the dog give her a hug as she shrieked with laughter. Hannah had loved James. They’d gotten along almost as well as Hannah had gotten along with Sirius and Lily had often joked that this was because they had the same level of intelligence. No tears came as Remus flipped, just memories of Lily and James to reminisce about and only feel happiness towards. He stopped at the picture of Hannah and Harry sleeping together in a crib. It had been Peter’s birthday and Remus and Sirius had decided to crash at the Potter’s rather than make the drive home. Hannah had Snuffles clutched to her chest while Harry had a stuffed deer placed between his arms, his chubby fists playing with the antlers as he drifted off. Remus remembered that deer very well, his name had been Bambi (which James did not approve of) but Harry had loved him and carried him around everywhere. He often wondered what had happened to the deer but always grew sad at the thought of it being destroyed with the rest of the house. Remus closed the scrapbook at this and went to bed, dreaming of Sunday dinners at the Potter’s before everything had changed. 

** 

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hannah all shared a table in the back of herbology class, planting small vibrating seeds in different pots of dirt as they discussed in further detail what Harry had seen after the quidditch match. Hermione shook her head as she dug up a small hole and planted a seed, being careful not to touch the sides of the pot.

“I can’t believe Quirrell is Snape’s only obstacle for the stone.” she said in a disapproving voice, like it was somehow their fault. 

“It’ll be gone by next Tuesday.” Ron added helpfully with the same tone. 

“He’s held up reasonably well so far.” Hannah said as she took the several plants that Hermione had potted carefully and placed them on the tray Sprout had levitated around for students to put away when they were done. 

“As well as one could with Snape breathing down their neck twenty-four seven.” Harry said with a look of disgust at the thought of being in direct contact with Snape every day. They hadn’t had a class with him since Remus’ talk but they’d both been told to be as polite as possible in the class so he had absolutely nothing to do. They had potions the next day and they all were slightly apprehensive at the idea of a reasonable Snape. It just didn’t seem possible. 

“Well, we checked on Fluffy before breakfast to see if he was still there and tried to be nice to Quirrell in his class this morning. What else can we do?” Ron said as he planted a seed as well. They had indeed taken to pressing their ears to the third corridor to check for Fluffy’s usual grunts and growls along with smiling at Quirrell when they passed him in the hallways and snapping at people who made fun of his stutter. Hermione had even stopped correcting him when he got something wrong in class. 

“Nothing,” Hermione said simply. “We need to be focusing on exams.” 

The other three rolled their eyes. Hermione had taken to nagging them about the slowly approaching exams, drawing up study schedules, and color-coding all her notes. They wouldn’t have minded it so much if it was just her doing it, but when Hermione was stressed about something the rest of the group always heard about it. 

“Mione, the exams are ages away.” Hannah pointed it out.

“Ten weeks,” Hermione snapped. “That’s not ages, that’s like a second to Nicolas Flamel.” 

“But we’re not six hundred years old,” Ron reminded her once again, as Hermione used the Nicolas Flamel argument very often. “Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all.”

“What am I studying for? Are you crazy? Do you realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They’re very important, I should’ve started studying a month ago. I don’t know what’s gotten into me....” Hermione’s words trailed off as she shook her head at herself. Hannah rolled her eyes while the boys snickered. 

“Torture yourself if you want to,” Ron said as he took the pots Hermione had planted and messed with the dirt in them to feel useful. “Just don’t do it to us.” 

Hermione huffed as she grabbed the pot back from Ron and fixed the dirt he’d dug up. 

“You should be thanking me! The two of you have terrible study habits and if you want to go into second year with Hannah and me, you’ll study with us.” 

Hannah smiled slightly as she planted the vibrating seeds in their pots. She had indeed entertained Hermione’s study schedule simply because she knew Hermione was genuinely worried about them not passing with her. Hannah knew that the exams probably would make exceptions for people who didn’t pass; she’d met many older Gryffindors that didn’t look like they’d picked up a book in their lives. But she knew nothing she could say would ease Hermione’s stress, so she’d gone along with it anyway and found she was actually glad she’d started studying earlier. She had no idea all those naps during History of Magic would leave her hopeless with memorizing dates and names. 

“What do you mean ‘terrible study habits’?” Harry laughed and Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

“Prongs, you get half your homework done at three in the morning.” 

“Still gets done though, doesn’t it?” Ron snickered and Harry laughed and nodded along with his friend while Hermione hissed about how bad sleeping schedules can affect performance in school. 

Unfortunately for the boys, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren’t nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones and most opted to stay at school and have access to the library instead of going home during the short break to their families. Hannah wrote to Remus and explained the situation and he responded with understanding as always. Hannah had wanted to see her father but as the semester went on, she started to get slightly worried about the exams. Maybe they wouldn’t kick her out if she failed, but she certainly didn’t want to find out what they’d do if she did. She even stopped sleeping in History of Magic, much to Hermione’s satisfaction. Potions classes turned into slightly tolerable experiences, something much appreciated compared to the weekly torture they’d endured before. Snape never deterred Draco from commenting on the Gryffindors but his comments and point taking had decreased immensely, now just matching how he treated the rest of their housemates. Hannah was annoyed but relieved when he took just as many points from Neville for spilling his potion across the floor as he had from her for dropping the last of an expensive-looking jar full of snail eyes by accident. At least he wasn’t singling her out in his unfairness anymore.

Eventually, the large amount of review work the teachers assigned all their pupils caught up with Harry and Ron and they could no longer do their homework in the dead of the night the day before it was due if they wanted to be able to function in class. Moaning and yawning, the four marauders sat around a library table with their work spread out over the table, writing and helping each other out when they had questions. 

“I’ll never remember this.” Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window at the forget-me-not blue sky, daydreaming of the small spot out by the forest where they’d spent so many afternoons doing homework back when they didn’t need a new library book full of information every few minutes. Hannah reached out and turned Ron’s messy handwriting towards her to help with the gibberish he’d written all over his page. 

“Mountain trolls have hard grey skin, not slimy blue, those are river trolls. Honestly, Ron, you knocked one out you should know-” 

But Ron was not listening to her. A large mane of bushy hair had just caught his eye and he craned his neck and smiled as the gamekeeper walked past a shelf near their table. 

“Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?” Ron called over to him and Hagrid walked over to their table, obviously holding something behind his back and looking very out of place with his large moleskin overcoat. 

“Jus’ lookin’,” he said in a shifty voice that piqued the four friend’s interest at once. “An’ what are you lot up ter?” He suddenly looked suspicious. “Yer not still lookin’ fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?” 

Hannah laughed and Hagrid looked even more nervous at the sound. 

“Oh, we found out who he was ages ago,” Ron said impressively and his three friends nodded along, much to Hagrid’s dismay. “And we know what that dog’s guarding, it’s a Philosopher’s sto-” 

“Shhh!” Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. “Don’ go shoutin’ about it, what’s the matter with yeh?” 

“There are a few things we wanted to ask you actually, while you’re here.” Hannah said, ignoring Hagrid’s panic, feeling happy about the conformation of their theory. Harry nodded and smiled sweetly at the gamekeeper. 

“Yeah, about what’s guarding the stone apart from Fluffy-”

“SHHHH!” Hagrid said again. “Listen… come an’ see me later, I’m not promisin’ I’ll tell yeh anythin’, mind, but don’ go rabbitin’ about it in here, students aren’ s’pposed ter know. They’ll think I’ve told yeh-” 

“See you later, then.” Harry said and Hagrid walked off. 

“What was he holding behind his back?” Hermione said thoughtfully and Hannah nodded as she’d noticed it too. 

“Do you think it had something to do with the stone?” Harry questioned, as out of habit he’d started comparing everything odd around Hogwarts to their discovery of the stone. 

“Knowing Hagrid, probably.” Hannah said helpfully with a snort. 

“I’m going to see what section he was in,” Ron said, as he’d had enough studying and needed a distraction. He pulled his long legs out from under the table and walked off, returning a minute later with a pile of books in his arms. He slammed them down on the table, making Hermione jump as she’d gone back to her potion’s essay and had not been paying attention. 

“Sorry, Moony…” Ron mumbled as she scowled at him. He spread all the books out on the table and the excited look that had been on his face earlier returned as his friends each picked one up and studied the covers. 

“Dragons!” he whispered. “Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons!” 

Hannah frowned as she picked up a copy of ‘Dragon Keeper’s Guide’ and examined it, turning to Hermione and raising a questioning eyebrow at her. Hermione shared the look and Hannah shook her head and turned back to the boys. Hannah and Hermione had gotten very good at reading each other’s moods and facial expressions and could communicate silently relatively well when they wanted to. Harry and Ron joked that by the time seventh year came around, the girls would be able to have an entire conversation without speaking a word. 

“Hagrid’s always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I met him.” Harry said. 

“But it’s against our laws,” Ron said. “Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks’ Convention of 1709, everyone knows that.” 

Hannah and Hermione shared another look. He could remember that but not what a mountain troll looked like? 

“It’s hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we’re keeping dragons in the back garden… anyway, you can’t tame dragons, it’s dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie’s gotten off wild ones in Romania.” 

“But there aren’t wild dragons in Britain?” Harry questioned with a shocked look on his face. 

“Of course there are.” said Hannah, who had seen a few common Welsh Green dragons fly over the Lupin cottage. She fondly remembered Remus shooting up out of his seat and pulling her over to the window, pointing out the dragon as its large wings spread over the countryside, smiling when his daughter’s mouth fell open in awe. Harry’s mouth fell open quite similarly. 

“The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind have to keep putting up spells on Muggles who’ve spotted them, to make them forget.” Ron said informatively and Harry shook his head, still struck over the thought of wild dragons. 

“So what on earth’s Hagrid up to?” Hermione said, voicing all their thoughts. 

They knocked on his door that evening to find out, growing even more suspicious when all his curtains were closed. Hagrid called a ‘who is it?’ before he let them in and then shut the door quickly behind them. It was stifling inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate and the four friends who’d changed into t-shirts and shorts before coming down to the hut suddenly felt the need for even fewer clothes as the heat of the cabin practically slapped them. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused, especially Hannah, who did not feel like losing another tooth that month. 

“So… yeh wanted to ask me somethin’?” 

“Yes,” Harry said, never one for subtlety. “We were wondering if you could tell us what’s guarding the stone apart from Fluffy.” 

Hagrid frowned at the four eager-looking first years. 

“O’ course I can’t,” Hagrid said, a feeling of dread rising in his stomach when he saw none of their faces looked even slightly put out at his response. He continued anyway. “Number one, I don’ know myself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn’ tell yeh if I could. That stone’s here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts… I s’ppose yeh’ve worked that out an’ all? Beats me how yeh even know abou’ Fluffy.” 

“Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you _do_ know, you know everything that goes around here.” Hermione said in a warm, flattering voice. Hagrid’s beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. 

“We only wondered who had _done_ the guarding, really,” Hannah said, picking up off Hermione’s lead. “We wondered who Dumbledore trusted enough to help him, apart from you.” 

Hagrid’s chest swelled at those last words and Harry and Ron beamed at their two friends. 

“Well, I don’ s’pose it could hurt to tell yeh that… let’s see… he borrowed Fluffy from me… then some o’ the teachers did enchantments… Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall-” he ticked them off on his fingers. “Professor Quirrell, an’ Dumbledore himself did somethin’, o’ course. Hang on, I’ve forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape.” 

_“Snape?”_ the four friends said in unison. 

“Yeah… yer not still on abou’ that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the stone, he’s not abou’ ter steal it.” 

Harry knew his friends were thinking the same as he was. He could practically hear Hannah’s brain whirring beside him as she stared at Hagrid with her mouth open, unaware of Fang nudging her hands to get her to go back to petting him. If Snape had been in on protecting the stone, it must have been easy to find out how the other teachers had guarded it. He probably knew everything… except, it seemed, Quirrell’s ‘little bit of hocus pocus’ and how to get past Fluffy.

“You’re the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy, aren’t you, Hagrid?” Hannah asked nervously, proving to Harry that they were thinking on exactly the same lines. 

“And you wouldn’t tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?” Harry urged. 

“Not a soul knows except me an’ Dumbledore.” Hagrid said proudly. 

“Well, that’s something,” Harry muttered to his friends. “Hagrid, can we have a window open? I’m boiling.” 

“Can’t, Harry, sorry.” Hagrid said and the marauders noticed him glancing at the fire. They looked at it too. 

“Hagrid… what’s _that_?” Hannah asked as she and her three friends stood up off the couch and walked over to the fireplace cautiously. But she already knew what it was and she suspected her friends did too. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.

“Ah,” Hagrid said nervously as he fiddled with his beard. “That’s… er…” 

“Where did you get it, Hagrid?” Ron said, crouching over the fire to get a better look at the egg. “It must’ve cost you a fortune.” 

“Won it,” Hagrid said. “Las’ night. I was down in the village havin’ a few drinks an’ got into a game o’ cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest.” 

“I can’t imagine why.” Hannah said in a weak voice as she backed away from the egg and went back to the safer pet in the room. 

“But what are you going to do with it when it’s hatched?” Hermione asked. 

“Well, I’ve been doin’ some readin’,” Hagrid said, pulling out a large book from under his pillow. “Got this outta the library, ‘Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit’, it’s a bit outta date, o’ course, but it’s all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, ‘cause their mothers breathe on ‘em, see, an’ when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o’ brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An’ see here… how ter recognize diff’rent eggs… what I got there’s a Norwegian Ridgeback. They’re rare, them.” 

Hagrid looked very pleased with himself but Hannah and Hermione didn’t. 

“A _Norwegian Ridgeback_? Hagrid, they’re notoriously violent and untameable. You can’t have that around a school.” Hannah said with a concerned look at the fire from her perch on the chair furthest away from the egg. 

“Hagrid, you live in a _wooden house_.” Hermione added. 

But Hagrid did not listen to either of them, just stoked the fire, and hummed happily. 

**

So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut. 

“Wonder what it’s like to have a peaceful life.” Ron sighed and stretched in his chair one night in the common room as the four friends sat around a shared table catching up on homework. 

“We may never know.” Hannah said dramatically as she picked up her potions essay and measured the length for the third time in ten minutes. Harry and Ron had finally caved and started to follow Hermione’s study schedules in the past week with all the extra homework. Harry’s was edited with quidditch practices but Ron had been spending a lot of time huddled around a table with Hermione when Hannah flat out refused to miss one of Harry’s practices. 

“Moony, if I’m going to be on the team next year I need to see how Wood coaches.” Hannah reasoned when Hermione urged her to stay in with them and work on her Defense essay that was due the next day. Hannah left with Harry anyway, insisting that she’d get it done by wand light, and leaving Ron and Hermione to watch the portrait door shut behind their two friends. 

“You’d think she would’ve seen enough of Wood’s coaching by now, what with her never missing a single practice.” Ron mumbled with a smirk and he looked up to see Hermione smiling at her paper. 

“Ulterior motive, maybe?” Hermione joked and Ron laughed, glad to see he had not been the only one to notice Harry and Hannah’s determination to be joined at the hip. 

The next morning at breakfast Hedwig brought Harry a small slip of paper. 

“What’s it say?” Hannah questioned as she stuck a letter from Remus in her bag for later and fed Ziggy a sausage. Harry showed her the paper and Hannah read the two words aloud to Ron and Hermione. 

“It’s hatching.” 

Ron wanted to skip herbology and go straight down to the hut but Hermione wouldn't hear a word of it. 

“Moony, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?” 

“We’ve got lessons, we’ll get into trouble, and that’s nothing to what Hagrid’s going to be in when someone finds out what he’s doing-” 

“Shut up!” Harry whispered. Draco was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. How much had he heard? Knowing him, more than they wanted him to. Harry didn’t like the look on Draco’s face at all. Ron and Hermione argued all the way down to the greenhouses until Hannah sighed and broke it up. 

“She’s right, Wormtail,” Hannah said as she threw an arm over her friend’s shoulder. Ron frowned at her. “It’ll just raise eyebrows if we miss class. We shouldn’t do anything to draw attention to the fucking dragon in Hagrid’s hut before we absolutely have to.” 

Hannah’s argument shut Ron up and she got Hermione to agree on running down to the hut during break. Harry sighed and smiled at his friend. He was thankful he had her to break up Ron and Hermione’s bickering, he couldn’t imagine dealing with the two of them when they got like that without her. Harry wasn’t very good at conflict resolution. 

When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the four friends dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest. Hagrid greeted them, looking flushed and excited. 

“It’s nearly out.” he ushered them inside. 

The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it and something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise met their ears as they crowded around it and watched with bated breath, Hannah standing back when it moved or twitched, wary of the dangerous dragon her father had told her about. Remus was very educated in dark and magical creatures; from unicorns to redcaps he knew all the facts and that meant Hannah did too. 

All at once, there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped out on the table and Hannah gave a squeal and moved behind Ron, who snickered at his friend. The dragon wasn’t pretty; Harry thought it looked like a crumpled black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet black body. It had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns, and bulging, orange eyes. It sneezed and a couple of sparks flew out of its snout. 

“Isn’t he beautiful?” Hagrid murmured, blissfully unaware of the look the four friends shared behind his back as he reached a hand out and stroked the dragon’s head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs. 

“Bless him, look, he knows his mummy!” Hagrid said tearfully. 

“Is that what that’s called?” Hannah murmured from behind Ron’s back and Harry and Ron snickered. 

“Hagrid,” Hermione said. “How fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?”

Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face and he leaped to his feet and ran to the window. 

“What’s the matter?” Hermione questioned. 

“Someone was lookin’ through the gap in the curtains… it’s a kid… he’s running back up to the school.” 

Hannah and Harry bolted to the window and looked out. Even at a distance, there was no mistaking him. Draco had seen the dragon. 

Something about the smile lurking on Draco’s face during the next week made Harry, Hannah, Ron, and Hermione very nervous. They spent most of their free time in Hagrid’s darkened hut, trying to reason with him. 

“Just let him go,” Harry urged. “Set him free.” 

“I can’t,” Hagrid said sadly. “He’s too little. He’d die.” 

They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils and Hannah refused to sit anywhere near it, perching herself up on the kitchen counter instead of the couch which Fang did not like as she could not pet him from that high up. Hagrid hadn’t been doing his gamekeeper duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor. 

“I’ve decided to call him Norbert,” Hagrid said, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. “He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where’s mummy?” 

“He’s lost his marbles.” Ron muttered in Harry’s ear. 

“Hagrid,” Harry said loudly, “Give it two weeks and Norbert’s going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment.” 

Hagrid bit his lip and Hannah nodded as she leaned down and patted a whining Fang on the head as he jumped up and tried to reach her perch on the counter. 

“He’s right, Hagrid. Next week, all he’ll have to do is sneeze and your house will be up in flames.” 

“I know I can’t keep him forever, but I can’t jus’ dump him, I can’t.” Hagrid said sadly. 

Harry suddenly turned to Ron. 

“Charlie,” he said. 

‘You’re losing it, too.” Ron said. “I’m Ron, remember?” 

“No, asshole, Charlie. Your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!” 

“Good idea, Prongs!” Hermione said with a smile from her seat at the table where she could be close to Hannah. 

“Brilliant!” Ron said. “How about it, Hagrid?” 

In the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie and ask him. The week after that dragged on and Wednesday night found Harry, Hannah, and Hermione sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed, working on homework and waiting for Ron to return. Suddenly, the portrait hole burst open and Hannah jerked and spilled the contents of her inkpot over her transfiguration essay. Cursing, she siphoned it off with her wand as Ron threw off Harry’s invisibility cloak and appeared in front of the three friends. He had been down in Hagrid’s hut, helping him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate. 

“It bit me!” he said, showing them his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief. “I’m not going to be able to hold a quill for a week, I tell you, that dragon’s the most horrible animal I’ve ever met, but by the way Hagrid goes on about it, you’d think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby.”

Hannah and Hermione laughed as there was a tap on the dark window and Harry whipped around to see Hedwig waiting outside with a letter attached to her leg. 

“It’s Hedwig!” Harry said as he hurried to let her in. “She’ll have Charlie’s answer!” 

The four of them put their heads together to read the note. 

_Dear Ron,_

_How are you? Thanks for the letter- I’d be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won’t be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they must.’t be seen carrying an illegal dragon._

_Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it’s still dark._

_Send me an answer as soon as possible._

_Love,_

_Charlie_

They looked at one another. 

“We’ve got the cloak and the map,” Harry said. “It shouldn’t be too difficult… I think the cloak’s big enough to cover two of us and Norbert.” 

It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other three agreed with him. Anything to get rid of Norbert… and Draco. However, there was a hitch. By the next morning, Ron’s bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. Hissing as Hannah poked at it curiously with her finger, Ron wondered aloud if Madam Pomfrey would recognize a dragon bite. By the afternoon, they had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Norbert’s fangs were poisonous. 

Hannah, Harry, and Hermione all rushed to the hospital wing after classes were over to find Ron in a terrible state in bed. 

“It’s not just my hand,” he whispered. “Although that feels like it’s about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me… I’ve told her it was a dog, but I don’t think she believes me… I shouldn’t have hit him at the quidditch match, that’s why he’s doing this.” 

“Hey,” Hannah said in a concerned voice as she sat herself down at the foot of Ron’s bed. “You don’t mean that.” 

“Yeah, I don’t.” Ron said truthfully. 

“It’ll all be over midnight on Saturday.” Hermione said but this didn’t soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat. 

“Midnight on Saturday!” he said in a hoarse voice. “Oh no… oh no… I’ve just remembered… Charlie’s letter was in that book Malfoy took, he’s going to know we’re getting rid of Norbert.” 

The other three didn’t get a chance to do anything but looked shocked and worried, Hannah raising her hand to swat Ron on the head when Madame Pomfrey rushed out of her room and made them leave, saying Ron needed sleep. Hannah lowered her hand and left with her friends, brain buzzing on how exactly they were going to handle Draco.

“It’s too late to change the plan now,” Harry told his friends as they walked out to Hagrid’s hut. “We haven’t got time to send Charlie another owl, and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We’ll have to risk it. And we have got the map and the invisibility cloak, Malfoy doesn’t know about that.” 

They found Fang sitting outside with a bandaged tail when they made it to Hagrid’s hut, and Hannah fussed over the dog as Hermione and Harry walked over to the window where Hagrid had poked his head out to speak to them. 

“I won’t let yeh in,” he panted. “Norbert’s at a tricky stage… nothin’ I can’t handle.” 

When they told him about Charlie’s letter, his eyes teared up. Although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg. 

“Aargh! It’s alright, he only got my boot… jus’ playin’.... he’s only a baby, after all.”

The baby banged it’s tail on the wall and shook the entire house, making the windows rattle. Harry, Hannah, and Hermione walked back to the castle feeling Saturday couldn’t come quickly enough. Since the cloak could only fit two under it holding the crate with a small dragon inside, Hermione agreed to let Hannah and Harry go, saying she could just do homework up in the dormitory anyway. Hannah had been insistent about meeting Charlie's friends either way, claiming anyone who would come at the drop of a hat to take an illegal dragon across the country was someone she wanted to meet. So Harry and Hannah made their way down to Hagrid’s hut Saturday night, covered in the cloak with the map open between them. They were held up momentarily by Peeves, who was playing tennis on the doors of the Great Hall, but they made it past him and to Hagrid, who was waiting for them with Norbert packed and ready in a large crate. 

“He’s got gots o’ rats an’ some brandy fer the journey,” Hagrid said in a muffled voice. “An’ I’ve packed his teddy in case he gets lonely.” 

From inside the crate came a ripping noise that sounded to the two friends like Teddy was having his head torn off. Hagrid sobbed a good-bye to the dragon as Hannah and Harry covered the crate with the cloak and stepped under it themselves, spreading the map up on the top of the crate so they could check it without having to set the crate down. It was a long trip. Panting and sweating, Hannah and Harry lugged the thrashing crate up many different flights of stairs, even their favorite shortcuts not making the work much easier. 

“Nearly there!” Harry panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower. A sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. Forgetting they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, Hannah peering over the map that she’d been too distracted to look at while carrying the heavy crate. She smiled when she read the two names as they stumbled into sight.

Minerva, in a tartan bathrobe and a hairnet, had Draco by the ear.

“Detention!” she shouted. “And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you-” 

“You don’t understand, Professor, Harry Potter’s coming… he’s got a dragon!” 

“What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on… I shall see Professor Snape about you, boy!” 

The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they’d stepped out into the cold air did they throw off the cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. Hannah whispered mischief managed to the map and stuffed it in her pocket before turning and punching the air with her fist to work off some energy. 

“Malfoy’s got detention! I could sing!” 

“Don’t.” Harry advised her, laughing.

“Oh, like I’d bless you with my vocals.” 

“You mean that weird screaming thing you do when I’m trying to listen to music?” 

“Is it better than that squealing sound you make when I turn on Freddie Mercury?” 

Hannah and Harry bickered and joked about Draco while waiting for Charlie’s friends. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness. One of them must’ve been muggle-born or half-blood, because they had a speaker attached to the back of their broomstick, and Hannah and Harry grinned at each other when they recognized Nirvana.

_‘I'll take advantage while_

_You hang me out to dry_

_But I can't see you every night_

_Free’_

Charlie’s friends were a cheery lot. They showed Hannah and Harry the harness they’d rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Harry and Hannah shook hands with the others and thanked them very much. 

_‘I'm standing in your line_

_I do hope you have the time_

_I do pick a number too_

_I do keep a date with you’_

At last, Norbert was going… going… gone. They high-fived and slipped down the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as their hands, now that Norbert was off them. Confident that no one would be down their hallway when something so good had just happened, they sang the lyrics to the song they'd just heard as they skipped their way down, laughing and bumping into each other. Harry smiled as he caught a glance of Hannah’s face lit up in the moonlight, looking very pretty as she sang Kurt Cobain’s lyrics and urged Harry to do the same. 

_‘I'll take advantage while_

_You hang me out to dry_

_But I can't see you every night_

_No, I can't see you every night’_

Hannah’s heart fluttered as she caught Harry’s eye and grinned when she saw he had been staring at her. She raised an eyebrow at him and they stopped at the bottom of the staircase, looking at each other with large grins on their faces, completely distracted while mumbling the lyrics still. Hannah had just opened her mouth to change the subject to wonder aloud what kind of detention Draco would be getting but was cut off by someone they hadn’t noticed before. 

“Well, well, well,” Filch said happily from the darkness of the corridor below them. “We _are_ in trouble.” 

They’d left the invisibility cloak at the top of the tower, and in their distracted moods, neither had thought to check the map that was tucked away in Hannah’s pocket. 

_Shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is About A Girl by Nirvana.  
> late at night again i know :( friday was my birthday and i got caught up in celebrations. but i'm 17 now so yay  
> hope u guys liked this chapter! i'm unreasonably excited to write the next one lol


	12. Stayin’ Alive - Year One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the Philosopher's stone.

Hannah and Harry stood at the bottom step of the stairs, staring at Filch with wide eyes. How could they have possibly forgotten something so important? Both black-haired friends cursed themselves silently as they took in Filch’s nasty grin and exactly how much trouble they were in. Hannah actually had to resort to counting in her head, the anger at herself got so bad. They were supposed to be the new marauders. And they forgot their own map! 

“Er… we were just-” 

“Save the excuses for your head of house.” Filch sneered, interrupting Harry’s stuttering. 

Their hearts dropped even lower. There was no reason on earth Minerva would accept for their being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes. Add Norbert, the map, and the invisibility cloak, and they might as well be packing their bags already.

Hannah tucked the map further down in her pocket as they walked down to Minerva’s office. Whatever happened, she just hoped they wouldn’t be asked to turn out their pockets. They’d already lost the invisibility cloak… the map was all they had left if they ever wanted to have a life again!

Things couldn’t have been worse. Filch led the two marauders into Minerva’s office and made them sit in the two straight-backed wooden chairs that were lined up facing her desk. Hannah’s heart gave a jolt as she sat and remembered her father; he definitely wouldn’t be happy about this. Excuses, alibis, wild cover-up stories, pretty much anything to lessen the trouble they were in ran through the two friends' heads as they sat and waited for their teacher in silence. Both children were pulling a blank. They were cornered. If only they’d remembered the cloak…

Had they thought things couldn’t have been worse? They were wrong. When Minerva appeared, she was leading Neville. 

“Harry!” Neville blurted out the moment he saw the other two. “I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag-” 

Hannah and Harry shook their heads violently in unison to try and get Neville to shut up but Minerva had seen. If Hannah thought she’d been mad at the troll incident, she was sorely underestimating her. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the three of them. 

“I would’ve never believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It’s one o’clock in the morning. Explain yourselves.” Minerva said as she conjured up a third chair for Neville to sit in. 

For the first time in her life, Hannah had nothing to say. No excuse or brilliant plan appeared in her head as Minerva stared her down. She just hoped that her teacher would give her a chance to write to Remus before she did. The moon was in two days and she really didn’t want her punishment on his mind while he was transforming. She didn’t want to be the reason he got a new scar. 

“I think I’ve got a good idea of what’s been going on,” Minerva said. “It doesn’t take a genius to work it out. You fed Mr. Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I’ve already caught him. I suppose you think it’s funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?” 

Hannah’s heart dropped as she saw Neville’s face fall and she and Harry tried to catch his eye and tell him that it wasn’t true. They knew what it must’ve cost someone who lacked the usual Gryffindor forwardness to come and find them in the dark and try to warn them. However, Neville was staring determinedly at his shoes, forcing back tears as he tried to process their predicament. 

“I’m disgusted,” Minerva began again when no one said anything to their defense. “Four students out of bed in one night! I’ve never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Lupin, I thought your father taught you better. As for you Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions… yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, _nothing_ gives you the right to walk around the school at night, especially these days, it’s very dangerous… and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor.” 

“ _Fifty?”_ Harry gasped. They would lose the lead, the lead he’d won in the last quidditch match.

“Fifty points _each,”_ Minerva said angrily and Hannah let a tear fall down her cheek at the words. A hundred and fifty points lost from Gryffindor in one night. It had to be a record. 

“Professor… please-”

“You can’t-” 

“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I’ve never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students and I’ll be writing to all of your families.” 

Neville and Harry stood and shuffled out of the room sadly while Hannah remained sitting. When Harry didn’t hear her usual footsteps behind him, he stopped to turn and nudge her with his hand.

“Go without me.”

“Don’t make it worse-”

“I won’t. Just go. I’ll catch up.” 

Minerva watched with thin lips at the interaction and tried not to think about how strongly it reminded her of Sirius and James. Never saw one without the other, and seeing one of them walk down the hallway without the other close to their side, bumping arms, was a rare occurrence. It seemed the trait had passed down. Harry sighed as his friend remained sitting and he walked out to see Neville standing outside the door, waiting for him. Harry explained everything as the door shut behind him and Neville’s face lifted slightly at learning he had not been shoved into a cruel joke. Harry patted him on the shoulder as he worried aloud what the next day would be like. Harry said nothing but his thoughts wandered to the same place as the two boys waited for Hannah to walk up to the tower for them. 

“Do you have something to say, Hannah?” Minerva said strictly as the small girl in front of her just twiddled her thumbs nervously. Hannah looked up at her with wide eyes full to the brim with tears and Minerva felt her heart warm slightly. This was where she most reminded her of Remus; when showing true emotions or just looking a nervous wreck. Sirius would’ve probably been proud at the number of points lost and would’ve made a game out of earning them back with James at his age. Although, it had taken the two boys until their fourth year to lose two hundred points in one go for getting caught decorating the Great Hall with large penis-shaped balloons at three in the morning. 

“Er… yes.” Hannah said as she tried to clear her throat and shuffle in her seat. Minerva just raised an eyebrow at her which made Hannah feel even worse, as she’d never really made Minerva disappointed in her before and was used to seeing her soft side.

“I was wondering if you could write daddy after the moon. So he doesn’t have to know during his transformation. It’s in two days and he’ll be very upset-”

“I know, Hannah. I was planning on writing to him next week.” Minerva said with a slight sigh at her student’s worry. Hannah’s face cleared slightly and she sniffled a ‘thanks’ before standing and walking out of the door to meet Harry and Neville, who were fortunately too preoccupied in their own worries to ask Hannah what that had been about. Hannah took Harry’s hand in her own as they walked up to the Gryffindor tower together and he squeezed hers in response, making her smile slightly as they climbed a steep flight of stairs. If they were going to suffer, she was glad they were doing it together. 

Hermione had stayed up in her bed doing homework waiting for Hannah to return so when the smaller girl swung open the door to the girl’s dormitory, she caught the look on her face immediately and jumped up, making her explain everything that had happened. Hannah spoke in a numb sounding voice and Hermione gasped when she told them all the points they’d lost. Hannah broke down in tears at the sound and Hermione wrapped her arms around her friend, pulling her closer as her body shook with sobs. They fell asleep like that, as Hannah had inherited Remus’ habit of falling asleep anywhere at any time and Hermione was too polite to move her snoring friend off her chest.

**

At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglass that recorded the house points thought there’d been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points less than yesterday? And then the story started to spread, led by Draco who did not like all the dirty looks he was getting from his fellow Slytherins and wanted to shift the blame. ‘Potter had a dragon’ was not widely accepted by the other Slytherins, though, and Draco endured almost as many comments and bullying from older Slytherins as Harry, Hannah, and Neville did from older Gryffindors. However, one hundred and fifty points was a whole lot more than fifty and since, Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, the hero of two quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, him, ‘the Lupin girl’, and that other stupid first year got far more attention than Draco did. From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Harry was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup. Everywhere the marauders went, people pointed and didn’t trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him and Hannah. Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as they walked past them, whistling and cheering… 

“Thanks, Potter! Loopy! We owe you one!”

Hannah always scowled at the play of her last name and took many trips to the bathroom with Hermione to try and breathe and forget her anger. The first few days were bad enough, without knowing what Remus would say, but after getting his letter all the name-calling just put her in an even worse mood, knowing she’d disappointed her father and there was nothing she could do about it. 

_Hannah,_

_Minerva told me about the little late-night escapade you and Harry had yesterday when she came over for tea. I’ve got to say, I’m not happy. I know that you’re smarter than that and I’m waiting until summer to hear the full REAL explanation as I doubt you were out just to further a cruel joke. Very excited for that._

_I won’t punish you when you come home any more than you’re already getting punished at school. I hear you’re getting detention? Let me know how that goes. Your first detention. Let’s make it your last, okay? I’m not angry, just disappointed, as I know you have better things to do than clean cauldrons or write lines (like study for your exams). I expect more from you as the year goes on. Just try to keep your head up at school for me. I’m sure one hundred and fifty points aren’t just being ignored by your pupils. Let me know if you’re okay, I know people can be mean._

_I love you,_

_Dad_

Hannah wrote back and told him she was fine, that yes people were being mean but it wasn’t anything she couldn't handle. She just wished she hadn’t been lying to him when she said it. Hannah never let it show on her face when the bullying was happening, but late at night she always lay awake, staring up at her ceiling and repeating their words to herself before bed. It shouldn’t matter to her what they thought but as she’d gotten herself relatively well-known by the pupils of Hogwarts, what with her jokes and overall friendliness, the sudden shift in the atmosphere towards Hannah made it feel like she’d lost a large group of friends all at once. She didn’t like it one bit and neither did Harry, both friends only found comfort in late nights at the library or out by the forest when their homework lessened considerably at their willingness to do it. They were almost glad that the exams weren’t that far away as all the studying kept their minds off of their misery. The four friends kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions. 

Hannah and Harry mutually agreed to start keeping their noses out of other people’s business, no more poking around late at night to search for secret passageways or theorizing about their potions professor, who had taken to feigning deafness with a small smile on his face while the Slytherins and Gryffindors combined verbally abused Harry, Hannah, and Neville. However, their newfound rule was tested one night as the two friends walked along the hallway that led to the library chatting happily as the corridor was empty with no one to harass them. 

“All I’m saying is there was no real build-up to Luke and Leia being siblings. It seemed like such a spur of the moment ‘hey let’s add this’ thing to me at the end.” Hannah said with a smile as Harry shook his head furiously at his friend. 

“No, they had it planned from the very beginning. And I know what you’re going to say, that they had that weird kiss thing, but it was supposed to be weird. It was even weird at the time.”

“That’s no excuse! It was even grosser if they knew they were gonna be siblings! And I just can’t see Darth Vader having a nice little family before going all bald and gross.” 

“They said they’re doing more movies about his story.”

“Who told you that?” 

“Heard one of Dudley’s friends talking about it.”

“No way! That’d be so-” 

But exactly what it would be Harry never found out, as at that moment the two friends passed a slightly open classroom door, where small whimpering sounds were coming from. Hannah frowned and raised an eyebrow at Harry as they moved closer to make out the words the person was crying. 

“No… not again… please…”

Their eyes widened as they recognized Quirrell’s voice through the crack in the door. It sounded as though someone was threatening him. His voice shook like he was in a lot of pain as he spoke, though emotional or physical they could not tell. 

“Alright… alright…” they heard Quirrell sob. 

The next second, Quirrell came hurtling out of the classroom, straightening his turban on his head as he sped past Harry and Hannah, who moved instinctually and tried to blend into the wall. They needn’t have worried though, Quirrell did not even seem to process that they were there as he sniffled and turned a corner, his pale face disappearing at the end of the hall. Hannah and Harry shared a look and then walked off very fast, betting anything that Snape would be leaving the classroom in just a few seconds and not wanting to be caught by him. They weren’t breaking any rules or curfew, but they still didn’t trust this newfound ‘morally correct’ thing that Remus had forced Snape into. Still, they would’ve bet twelve Philosopher’s stones that Snape would be walking with a new spring in his step, as it sounded like Quirrell had finally given in. 

Harry and Hannah ran into the library at full speed, slowing a bit when Madam Pince hissed at them, but still finding the table where Ron and Hermione sat quizzing each other on Astronomy a bit too fast. 

“That one’s Regulus…” Hannah panted as she skidded next to Ron and took a look at the flashcard Hermione was holding up. He smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand as Hermione sighed.

“He’ll never learn like that, Pads-”

“Nevermind that. Let us tell you what we just heard.” Harry interrupted her excitedly and told them all about the encounter with Quirrell as Hannah took a seat next to Ron and started pulling out her homework, adding things in occasionally as he spoke. When they finished, Harry sat down as Hermione and Ron shared a look of shock. 

“So Snape’s done it then!” Ron said. “If Quirrell’s told him how to break his anti-dark force spell-”

“There’s still Fluffy, though.” Hermione reminded him. 

“Maybe Snape’s found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid,” Ron said as he looked up at the thousands of books that surrounded them. “I bet there’s a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So what do we do? Prongs? Padfoot?” 

The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron’s eyes but as Hermione looked over and saw the familiar grin appear on Hannah’s face that always meant trouble, she decided to interfere before her friends got themselves in an even worse spot with Gryffindor. 

“We go to Dumbledore. That’s what we should’ve done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we’ll be thrown out for sure. Need I remind you two you’re already on thin ice with McGonagall?” 

Hannah’s smile disappeared and the light went out in Ron’s eyes but Hermione knew she was speaking the truth and grounding them as usual. Honestly, she was quite sure they’d already be expelled if it wasn’t for her interfering. Hannah had wanted to fly Harry’s broomstick up to the top of Gryffindor tower and have a ‘party’ when he first got it and Ron and Harry had been totally on board. Hermione shivered to think what Hogwarts would be like if she hadn’t been a witch. 

“But we’ve got no proof!” Harry exclaimed, interrupting Hermione’s train of thought. “Quirrell’s too scared to back us up, Snape’s only got to say he doesn’t know how the troll got in on Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor… who do you think they’ll believe, him or us? It’s not exactly a secret we hate him and have had problems with him before, Dumbledore’ll think we made it up to get him sacked. Hannah’s dad already stuck his neck out for us before with him and we let him down by getting caught out of bed, what if we make him do it again and we’re wrong? Snape could go back to bullying us in class and Hannah would get in trouble at home. Filch wouldn’t help us if his life depended on it, he’s too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he’ll think. And don’t forget, we’re not supposed to know about the stone or Fluffy. That’ll take a lot of explaining.” 

Hannah and Hermione looked convinced, especially Hannah who had taken a great interest in her dirty converses on the floor at the mention of her father. Ron however, did not. 

“If we just do a bit of poking around-”

“No,” Harry said flatly. “We’ve done enough poking around.” 

And the three other friends watched in silence as Harry pulled a map of Jupiter towards him and started to learn the names of its moons, knowing if Harry was stopping them from prodding into other people’s business, things really were serious. 

**

_Your detention will take place at eleven o’clock tonight._

_Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall._

_Professor M. McGonagall_

Harry, Hannah, and Neville all clutched their own copies of the slip of paper that they’d received earlier that morning as they said goodbye to Ron and Hermione and made their way down to the entrance hall. They didn’t know if they’d need to show it to Filch or if Filch would be happy no matter which students were serving detention as long as someone was being punished. Hannah made a face as they met Filch and Draco at the entrance hall- she’d forgotten he had detention too. Fortunately, Draco seemed just as upset about the detention as they were and he said nothing as they walked out of the hall and into the night. 

“I bet you’ll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won’t you, eh?” Filch said with a sneer as he led them out into the grass with a small gas lamp in his hands. “Oh yes… hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me. It’s just a pity they let the old punishments die out… hang you by your wrists from the ceilings for a few days-”

Hannah and Draco rolled their eyes as Harry and Neville’s widened. 

“-I’ve got the chains still in my office. Keep ‘em well and oiled in case they’re ever needed… right, over this way, and don’t think of running off, now, it’ll be worse for you if you do.” 

As they marched across the dark grounds Harry wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really good, or Filch wouldn’t be sounding so delighted. Hannah and Harry took turns trying to trip each other behind Filch’s back as they walked, ignoring Draco’s snorts and Neville’s sniffles and trying to lighten the mood for their sake. 

The crescent moon in the sky was bright but clouds kept passing across it and throwing them into darkness as they walked. Hannah eventually got a good foot under Harry as darkness passed and he tripped and hit the ground with a loud ‘oof’. Hannah and Draco laughed as Filch turned and sneered, making Harry take Neville’s extended hand and jump up off the ground while threatening him with more detention. Harry just nudged Hannah back and flipped Draco off, meeting a scowl from the pale blonde boy and erasing the grin that had been on his face seconds earlier. They walked a few steps further and caught a glimpse of the lighted windows of Hagrid’s hut. Then they heard a distant shout. 

“Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started-” 

Hannah and Harry’s hearts soared at the sound of Hagrid’s voice; if they were going to be working with him it wouldn’t be so bad. Their relief showed on their faces as they exchanged a grin and Filch sneered at them before attempting to crush their hopes. 

“I suppose you think you’ll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again. It’s into the forest you’re going and I’m much mistaken if you’ll all come out in one piece.” 

At this, Neville let out a little moan and Draco stopped dead in his tracks. 

“The forest?” he repeated, and Harry thought he didn’t sound as cool as usual. “We can’t go in there at night… there’s all sorts of things in there… werewolves, I heard.” 

“Werewolves!” Hannah exclaimed all of a sudden as she clutched Harry’s arm dramatically. “Oh boy, Harry, we’d better watch out for those werewolves. Especially since the moon isn’t full. That’s when they’re most dangerous, you know.” Hannah said sarcastically and Draco scowled at her. 

“Quiet, girl.” Filch sneered. “And that’s your problem, isn’t it?” he said as he turned to Draco, joy returning on his ugly features. “Should’ve thought of werewolves before you got into trouble, shouldn’t you?” 

Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his side. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder. Hannah giggled as Fang gave a bark when he saw her and ran up to jump on her shoulders and lick her face. 

“Abou’ time,” Hagrid said haughtily. ‘I bin waitin’ fer half an hour already. Alright, Harry, Hannah?” 

“I wouldn’t be too friendly with them, Hagrid.” Filch said coldly. “They’re here to be punished, after all.” 

“That’s why yer late, isn’ it?” Hagrid said as he frowned at Filch. “Bin lecturin’ them, eh? S’not your place ter do that. Yeh’ve done yer bit, I’ll take over from here.” 

Filch looked like he wanted to say more but as he took in the large crossbow that was slung casually around Hagrid’s shoulder, he thought better of it. 

“I’ll be back at dawn. For what’s left of them.” Filch sneered nastily as he turned and started back towards the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness. Draco wasted no time before turning to Hagrid. 

“I’m not going in that forest.” he said, and Hannah and Harry exchanged a grin when they heard the note of panic in his voice. 

“Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts,” Hagrid said firmly. “Yeh’ve done wrong an’ now yeh’ve got ter pay for it.”

“But this is servant stuff,” Draco whined, even though he did not yet know exactly what they’d be doing in the forest. “It’s not for students to do, I thought we’d be copying lines or something. If my father knew I was doing this, he’d-” 

“-tell yer that’s how it is at Hogwarts!” Hagrid growled. Hannah held back a snort beside him, as she’d heard her Aunt spout a few choice words about her sister’s ‘loser husband’ when she thought she wasn’t listening. Hannah though Lucius Malfoy would probably have a bitch-fit if he found out exactly what Draco was doing right now but she said nothing, choosing instead to cringe as her brain reminded her once again that she and Draco were something like second cousins. Hannah actually tried not to think about this fact a lot and had only ever told Hermione, as she knew her friend would understand that it wasn’t Hannah’s fault. 

“Copyin’ lines! What good’s that to anyone? Yeh’ll do summat useful or yeh’ll get out. If yeh think yer father’d rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an’ pack a bag! Go on!” 

Draco stood his ground. He looked at Hagrid furiously, insults pinging around in his head like a pinball machine, but said nothing as he dropped his gaze. Next to him, Hannah and Harry shared another grin. Draco had been the main reason they had to rush getting Norbert out and they were happy to see Hagrid get to take a little anger out on the Slytherin. 

“Righ’ then,” Hagrid said. “Now, listen carefully, ‘cause it’s dangerous what we’re gonna do tonight, an’ I don’t want no one takin’ risks. Follow me over here a moment.” 

He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into their forest and Hannah caught a whiff of the shampoo Harry and Ron shared as her friend’s unruly black hair shifted next to her. 

“Look there,” Hagrid said as he held out a large hand and pointed to the earthy path underneath them. “See that stuff shinin’ on the ground? Silvery stuff? That’s unicorn blood. There’s a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We’re gonna try an’ find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery.” 

“And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?” Draco said, unable to keep the fear out of his voice. The other three Gryffindors hated agreeing with Draco but thought he had a point. 

“Yeah, Hagrid. Why are we going to find it if it’s dangerous enough to kill unicorns?” Harry asked. 

“I don’t know how to fight monsters,” Hannah added, eyes wide. “I’ll throw Malfoy at them.”

“Now, Hannah-” Hagrid started. 

“I’ll do it, I swear. I don’t care.” 

“There’s nothin’ that lives in the forest that’ll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang,” Hagrid said with a sigh as he interrupted Draco’s retort that would’ve definitely turned the detention into a more unpleasant experience than it already was. “An’ keep ter the path. Right, now, we’re gonna split inter two parties an’ follow the trail in diff’rent directions. There’s blood all over the place, it must’ve been staggerin’ around since last night at least.” 

“I want Fang.” Draco said quickly, looking at Fang’s sharp teeth. 

“I get Fang.” Hannah said defensively and Hagrid sighed again. 

“You can get Fang, Draco. But I warn yeh, he’s a bloody coward.” Hagrid said with a grin and Draco looked only slightly put out as Hagrid nudged the boarhound away from its spot by Hannah’s hip over to Draco. Draco grabbed him by his collar and Hannah scowled. 

“You’ll be with me, Hannah, Harry. That’s why yer not gettin’ Fang.” Hagrid said with a smile. “So me, Harry, an’ Hannah’ll go one way an’ Draco, Neville, an’ Fang’ll go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we’ll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an’ practice now… that’s it… an’ if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an’ we’ll all come an’ find yeh… so be careful… let’s go.”

Hannah felt bad for Neville as they separated and he walked away, Draco by his side. She was at least happy that Hagrid had not split her and Harry up and she chatted happily with her friend as they walked down the dirt path. The forest was black and silent and Hannah and Harry’s voices broke the deadness of it all as they walked and Hagrid had to shush them once or twice, telling them they’d never find the culprit if they didn’t shut up. Every now and then a ray of moonlight lit a silver-blue spot on the fallen leaves and Hannah and Harry cringed as they stepped over the unicorn blood. The moonlight set Harry on edge and his fears only grew as he looked over at Hagrid and saw he looked very worried. 

“Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?” Harry asked nervously and Hannah snorted. Harry frowned at his friend, concerned about why exactly she was so defensive of werewolves that night. He thought she had just been picking on Draco but it seemed to have spread to Harry as well. 

“Not even a full moon. They’re people, you know.” Hannah snapped and Harry was even more taken aback by her sudden rudeness. Hannah had never snapped at him before and her attitude being directed at him was very new and confusing. 

“I-I- mean… I know.” Harry stuttered and Hannah looked up at him with large amber eyes. Her mouth twisted into a frown.

“Oh… sorry, Prongs. Just tired.” 

“S’alright.”

“She’s righ’ though, Harry,” Hagrid mumbled under his breath as they walked, seemingly oblivious to the tension between the two. “Killin’s haven’t been during the fulls an’ werewolves aren’ fast enough either way. It’s not easy ter catch a unicorn, they’re powerful magical creatures. I never knew one to be hurt before.” 

They kept walking and heard the babbling of a spring. Hannah hummed under her breath as they stepped over a large fallen tree that had been blocking their path and Harry strained his ears to hear the words she was singing as they landed on their feet on the other side. Hannah stepped in a puddle of unicorn blood as she got down and gave a small shriek, throwing herself over to Harry like the blood might hurt her if she touched it. She knew what happened to people that drank unicorn blood, in one of the one scary stories Remus used to read her before bed, a man drank unicorn blood to stay alive but had a cursed life, never coming out on top or being successful. Hannah didn’t know if the same rules applied to touching it, but she didn’t want to be the reason people found out. 

“You alright, Hannah?” Hagrid asked, placing a large hand on her shoulder as Hannah stepped back from Harry and straightened her skirt. “Don’ worry, it can’t’ve gone far if it’s this badly hurt, an’ then we’ll be able ter- GET BEHIND THAT TREE!”

Hagrid seized Harry and Hannah by the neck of their robes and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby, it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away. 

“I knew it,” Hagrid murmured. “There’s summat in here that shouldn’ be.” 

Harry bit back his suggestion about it being a werewolf, remembering Hannah's comment from before about the moon not being full. 

“Do you think it’s a thestral, Hagrid?” Hannah asked curiously as she and Harry stepped back out from behind the tree. “I heard the forest is full of them.” 

“Nah… that’s no thestral. They don’ go for unicorns an’ I feed the ones that live in the forest myself.” 

Harry had no idea what a thestral was but did not get time to ask as after walking a few paces, something moved in the clearing ahead. 

“Who’s there?” Hagrid called as he moved in front of Hannah and Harry. “Show yourself… I’m armed!”

Into the clearing came a centaur, Hannah gasped when she saw the large chestnut colored creature step into the moonlight and look them over. Harry’s jaw dropped. 

“Oh, it’s you, Ronan. How are yeh?” he asked as he walked forward and shook the centaur’s hand. 

“Good evening to you, Hagrid. Were you going to shoot me?” he asked in a deep, sorrowful voice. 

“Can’t be too careful, Ronan,” Hagrid said as he patted his crossbow. “There’s summat bad loose in the forest. This is Harry Potter an’ Hannah Lupin, by the way. Students up at the school. An’ this is Ronan, you two. He’s a centaur.” 

“Noted.” Hannah said faintly. 

“Good evening,” Ronan said. “Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?”

“Erm-” Harry started. 

“I guess.” Hannah said timidly. 

“You guess. Well, that’s something.” Ronan sighed and flung his head back to stare at the sky. “Mars is bright tonight.” 

“Yeah,” Hagrid said as he too glanced up at the sky. “Listen, I’m glad we ran inter yeh, ‘cause there’s a unicorn bin hurt… you seen anythin’?” 

It took a few seconds for Ronan to answer. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again. 

“Always the innocent are the first victims,” he said and Hannah got the feeling he wasn’t just talking about the unicorn. “So it has been for ages, so it is now.” 

“Yeah, but have yeh seen anythin’, Ronan? Anythin’ unusual?” 

“Mars is bright tonight,” Ronan repeated while Hagrid watched him impatiently. “Unusually bright.” 

Harry and Hannah exchanged a nervous grin when they saw how worked up Hagrid was getting. 

“Yeah, but I was meanin’ anythin’ unusual a bit closer to home. So yeh haven’t noticed anythin’ strange?” 

Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he sighed for the third time. 

“The forest hides many secrets.” 

A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur with curly black hair. Hannah couldn’t help but notice that this one looked a bit wilder than Ronan. 

“Hullo, Bane. Alright?” Hagrid greeted him happily. 

“Good evening, Hagrid. I hope you are well?” 

“Well enough. Look, I’ve jus’ bin askin’ Ronan, you seen anythin’ odd in here lately? There’s a unicorn bin injured… would yeh know anythin’ about it?” 

Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward as well. 

“Mars is bright tonight.” he said simply. 

“So we’ve heard,” Hagrid said grumpily. “Well, if either of you do hear anythin’, let me know, won’t yeh? We’ll be off, then.” 

Hannah and Harry followed Hagrid out of the clearing, looking over their shoulders curiously at the two centaurs that still stood gazing at the sky.

“Never,” Hagrid said irritably. “Try an’ get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin’ closer’n the moon.” 

“But mars is the God of war!” Hannah said excitedly as she sped up the walk beside Hagrid. “Were they trying to say there’s gonna be a war? If it’s bright or whatever?” 

“I’ve no bloody clue what they were tryin’ ter say. Never make any sense ter me.”

“D’you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?” Harry asked curiously, speeding up so he was by Hagrid too. 

“Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what’s been killin’ the unicorns… never heard anythin’ like it before.” 

They walked on through the dense dark trees and Harry kept looking over his shoulder. He had the nasty feeling they were being watched and was very thankful that they had Hagrid and his crossbow with them. Soon though, they didn’t even have that. 

“Hagrid, look!” Hannah gasped as she pointed over the trees to where several red sparks flew. “The others must be in trouble!” 

“You two wait here,” Hagrid shouted. “Stay on the path, I’ll come back for yeh!” 

He crashed through the trees and made his way towards the red sparks, leaving Harry and Hannah alone. 

“I hope Neville isn’t hurt, it’s our fault he’s out here anyways.” Hannah mumbled nervously under her breath as she wrapped her arms around herself and shivered in the chilly March weather.

“Are you cold?” Harry asked kindly as he took in the picture. “You can have my robes if you want.” 

“Really? Won’t you get cold?”

“I don’t get cold.”

“Okay, then. Thanks.”

Harry pulled off his black robes and helped Hannah tug them over hers. He stood with his hands in his school pants pockets then, trying not to show the weather getting to him. Why did he say he didn’t get cold? That was a lie. And he sounded stupid, she’d smirked at him. Now he kind of wanted his robes back. 

A great crunching sound announced Hagrid's return. Draco, Neville, and Fang were with him and Hannah breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Neville’s face, he was blushing furiously as usual and Hagrid was fuming while Draco looked rather pleased with himself. Draco’s smirk turned into a scowl, however, when he saw Hannah wearing Harry’s robes while Harry stood with his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet to stay warm. Draco didn’t know exactly why the picture made him so mad, just that it did. He supposed it was probably because Hannah was being so inconsiderate about Harry’s warmth. Yes, that was it. 

Hannah and Harry rolled their eyes upon learning that Draco had snuck up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke, causing the jumpy Gryffindor to send up red sparks with his wand immediately. 

“We’ll be lucky ter catch anythin’ now, with the racket you two were makin’. Righ’, we’re changin’ groups… Neville, you stay with me an' Fang. Hannah, Harry, you go with this idiot.” Hagrid growled as he gestured to Draco with a wave of his hand. Hannah grinned and Draco looked offended but Harry sighed so Hagrid leaned down to whisper to him.

“I’m sorry, but he’ll have a harder time frightenin’ you two, an' we gotta get this done.” 

Hannah was indeed already picking up small acorns and chucking them at the back of Draco’s head. Harry thought the chances of Draco getting Hannah to send up red sparks were almost zero. 

“An’ I hope you don’ mind I’m keepin’ Fang,” Hagrid added. “This one looks like he might need a little extra care.” he said as he looked at Neville, who was still shaky and blushing from the scare Draco gave him. Harry just nodded and said he understood before walking off to where Draco and Hannah were insulting each other back and forth and nudging them towards the twisting path Hagrid had made with his feet. 

“Oi! Harry!” Hagrid called over his shoulder as they walked off and all three students stopped to look at him curiously. “Put yer ruddy cloak on. You’ll get sick.” 

Hannah snorted as she removed Harry’s robes from her shoulders and threw them back to him. 

“I d-don’t need them.” Harry shivered and Hannah laughed while Draco rolled his eyes. 

“Sure you don’t, tough guy. Don’t worry about it. I was getting hot anyway.” Hannah said with a smirk as Harry caved and put the robes back on, warming as they slipped over his shoulders and relief spreading across his face. Hannah laughed. 

“I don’t get cold.” she said in an imitation of Harry’s voice and he playfully punched her on the shoulder as she sped ahead into the forest. They walked for a few minutes in silence, Draco staying unusually quiet as his senses were on high alert; looking for anything possibly dangerous as he stepped over twigs and fallen leaves. Eventually, they found the trail with all the unicorn blood that Draco and Neville had been on before their little ‘incident’ and followed it, stopping to point out when the blood got thicker on the leaves. 

“Poor thing’s probably dead or close to.” Hannah said with a frown as Harry pointed out another patch of blood. 

“Which is exactly why we shouldn’t be out here.” Draco blurted out nervously and Hannah and Harry turned to look at him with raised eyebrows. “What? Don’t tell me you don’t agree. If something out here is killing unicorns do you really think three first years are the best equipped to handle the beast?” 

Hannah and Harry had been thinking along the same lines but decided not to agree with Draco to his face, as they thought the act might make the Slytherin’s head grow a couple of sizes. 

“Awwww, is the little Slytherin scared?” Hannah cooed in a mocking voice. 

“Oh shut up, Loopy. You know this isn’t a fair punishment for what we did.” Draco scowled. 

“Oh, what WE did?” Hannah said angrily, fueled slightly by the nickname she stepped over to her cousin and raised herself on her feet slightly so they were closer in height. “Need I remind you that YOU wouldn’t be out here at all if you learned how to keep your nose out of other people’s business.” 

“WE wouldn’t be out here if your oaf of a friend didn’t decide to keep a dragon in that pile of sticks he calls home.” 

“Oh, it’s always someone else’s fault with you-” 

“Okay, shut up, both of you,” Harry said, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the two bickering kids. “We’ll never find the thing if you two keep yelling at each other like that.”

Both of them scowled but said nothing as they turned around and started walking on the path again. After a few minutes of silence, Hannah’s head cleared slightly and she started to hum again, causing Harry to grin when he recognized the tune that he hadn’t been able to place over the sound of Hagrid’s loud footsteps earlier. Hannah smiled as she heard Harry start to hum along and she began to sing the words aloud, ignoring Draco’s scoffs. 

‘ _Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk_

_I'm a woman's man, no time to talk_

_Music loud and women warm, I've been kicked around_

_Since I was born’_

Hannah and Harry started off walking one in front of the other, imitating John Travolta as they sang the words in a high pitched tune, completely ignoring Draco’s utter confusion behind them. Harry had started off nervous to the dancing in front of someone that was sure to make fun of him, but seeing Hannah’s exaggerated head moments and blissful unawareness to Draco’s comments made him decide she shouldn’t do it alone, so he jumped behind her and imitated the movie he’d seen several times hiding behind Uncle Vernon’s recliner in the living room when he had nothing better to do than sit in his cupboard. 

_‘And now it's alright, it's okay_

_And you may look the other way_

_We can try to understand_

_The New York Times' effect on man’_

Hannah stopped suddenly, causing Harry to confusingly run right into her before taking a step back and looking at what she was doing; raising her right hand above her head and then bringing it down to touch the left side of her body before repeating the movement again. 

“Is she having a seizure?” Draco asked in his usual drawling voice, slightly at ease with the atmosphere the two Gryffindors had created. Harry just laughed before imitating the dance move and Draco tried not to grin as he watched Harry’s less coordinated version of the dance. Hannah started to move again down the trail while repeating the dance move and singing the song loudly, Harry and Draco following behind her. 

_‘Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother_

_You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive_

_Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin'_

_And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive_

_Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive_

_Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive’_

With every ‘ha’ the two black haired friends exaggerated their movements and stopped their feet on the ground, completely forgetting exactly why they were in the forest together as they laughed at each other’s dances. Hannah turned to watch Harry behind her and wished she could say she wasn’t pleased to see the corners of Draco’s mouth twitch in a friendly way rather than his usual mocking. Why was it always so much fun making other people laugh? Hannah felt like she’d gotten a reward seeing the slight smirk on Draco’s face as they danced and she actually smiled at him, forgetting her usual hatred for her cousin. The moment was ruined, however, by Harry, who stuck his arm out to stop the other two from walking right into a very large puddle of unicorn blood. It was the most they’d seen so far, pooled up in a great silver mass on the ground and reflecting their frightened faces as they leaned over it. Harry looked up first as something caught his eye in the clearing ahead. 

“Look-” Harry mumbled at the other two, who looked up in unison and spotted something white and gleaming on the ground of the clearing ahead as well. Harry took a step forward and so did Draco and Hannah, cautiously, all traces of carefree happiness gone as they remembered why they were out in the forbidden forest in the middle of the night. 

They stepped out into the clearing and gasped collectively. It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead.

They’d never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves. Hannah thought she heard Draco sniffle sadly behind her as she and Harry took a step towards the dead unicorn. A slithering sound made them freeze where they stood side-by-side. 

Out of a bush on the opposite side of the clearing came a hooded figure. It had to be what they’d heard earlier with Hagrid; the sound it made as its cloak ran across the leaves was identical and Hannah felt her heart stop as the figure crawled across the ground towards the unicorn like some stalking beast. It reached the poor animal and lowered its head over the wound in its side before beginning to drink its blood. 

“AAAAAAAAAAARGH!” 

Draco let out a terrible high-pitched scream that under any other circumstance would’ve made Hannah and Harry’s week. Unfortunately, as Draco turned and bolted down the path they’d entered from, Harry and Hannah were frozen with fear, not processing anything else but the dark figure on the ground that was slowly raising its head and looking right at them with silver unicorn blood dripping from its mouth. Hannah was forcibly reminded of the few seconds of a vampire movie that she’d seen before Remus flicked to the next channel, ignoring her complaints of how she was old enough to watch that sort of thing. Hannah didn’t think she’d ever have the desire to watch a horror movie again as the cloaked figure straightened and came swiftly towards the two friends. Hannah gasped and grabbed Harry’s hand, about to try and pull her friend who was rooted to the ground with fear, but Harry yanked his hand back as he fell to the forest floor, pressing both his hands to the scar on his forehead as he grunted in pain. 

“HARRY! HARRY, WHAT’S WRONG? LET’S GO-” 

Hannah’s fussing over her friend as she tried to pull him up off the ground was interrupted by the sound of hooves appearing behind them. Something jumped over their heads and Hannah instinctively ducked and hit the ground, falling next to Harry and looking around just in time to see a large palomino centaur charge at the hooded figure and raise itself above it. The figure hissed before it turned and disappeared into the woods behind them. Hannah’s heart beat fast in her chest as the new centaur turned towards her. She noticed he looked a great deal younger than Bane and Ronan, with a kinder face, and pale blonde hair that fell around his shoulders in waves. 

“Er… hi.” Hannah mumbled from the ground.

“Hello, little one.” the centaur spoke in a soft voice. “Is your friend all right?” 

Hannah turned to look at Harry, who was still laid out on the ground clutching his scar. She turned to him and pried his hands off, gasping when she saw the scar that normally blended into his brown skin relatively well stand out livid on his forehead. 

“Prongs? Hey, Harry.” Hannah spoke in a soothing voice that matched the centaur’s. “Are you alright? It’s your scar, isn’t it?” 

Harry nodded as he took her hand and pulled himself up to a sitting position, mouth falling open as he took in the sight of the centaur standing above them. 

“Are you all right?” the centaur repeated as he stuck a hand out for Harry to take. He pulled him to his feet as Hannah got up on her own beside him, fussing over his robes and pushing back his hair to see the scar better. Harry pushed her off and mumbled that he was fine before looking back at the centaur. 

“Yes… thank you… what _was_ that?” 

The centaur, like his brothers, didn’t answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires, and he looked over the two children, eyes resting on Harry’s scar. 

“You are the Potter boy,” he said and Hannah frowned, wondering why this was relevant. “You two had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time… especially for you.” he added to Harry before asking the two friends to climb up on his back in order to make things faster. Hannah climbed on in front of Harry, who wrapped his arms around her waist and slumped into her back as the pain in his head pounded. Normally he wouldn’t have been this close or initiated the contact, but Hannah didn’t seem to mind as she shifted in her spot to make it more comfortable for him, taking one of her hands off the centaur to pat his arm comfortingly. 

“My name is Firenze.” the centaur added as they walked out of the clearing. 

“Nice to meet you, Firenze.” Hannah said politely.

“Mmm… hi.” Harry added, his voice muffled by the fabric of Hannah’s robes. He could’ve fallen asleep like that, his face buried in his friend’s back, close enough to her hair to smell the coconut conditioner she used that he liked and too worn out to feel embarrassed. Unfortunately, there was a sudden sound from the bushes and he shot up in time to see Bane and Ronan enter the dirt path, faces screwed up in anger.

“Firenze!” Bane thundered. “What are you doing? You have two humans on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?” 

“Do you realize who this is?” Firenze said angrily. “This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves the forest, the better!” 

“And the girl?” Bane retorted. “Why is she not walking? And what have you been telling them? Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movement of the planets?” 

“I’m sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best.” Ronan said in his gloomy voice as he pawed the ground nervously. Bane kicked his legs back in anger. 

“For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in the forest!” 

At this Firenze reared on his hind legs in anger, causing Hannah to grab onto his shoulders so she and Harry could stay on. 

“Did you not see that unicorn?” Firenze bellowed at Bane. “Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must.” 

And Firenze whirled around, with Hannah and Harry clutching on as best they could. He plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them. Hannah had a funny sinking feeling in her stomach while Harry didn’t have a clue what was going on. 

“Why’s Bane so angry?” he asked. “What was that thing you saved us from, anyway?” 

“What’s been foretold?” Hannah asked in a quieter voice than was normal for her. Firenze slowed to a walk and warned them both to duck their heads in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer any of their questions. They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Hannah and Harry started to think that they’d upset him and he didn’t want to talk to them anymore. Harry even went back to his sleeping spot on Hannah’s back. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped, causing Harry’s head to shoot up once again. 

“Do either of you know what unicorn blood is used for?” he asked and both friends were startled by the sudden question. Harry said ‘no’ at the same time Hannah said ‘yes’ and Firenze nodded before explaining for Harry’s sake. 

“It is a terrible thing to slay a unicorn. Only one who has nothing to lose and everything to gain would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips.” 

Hannah nodded at the information she’d already known as Harry’s jaw dropped. 

“But who’d be that desperate?” he wondered aloud. “If you’re going to be cursed forever, death’s better, isn’t it?” 

“It is,” Firenze agreed. “Unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else… something that will bring you back to full strength and power… something that will mean you can never die.” 

“The Philosopher’s stone.” Hannah mumbled as she put the pieces together and Firenze nodded gravely at her response while Harry looked bewildered. 

“Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?” 

Hannah’s heart dropped as Firenze confirmed her theory. She felt Harry’s arms tighten around her waist and felt a pang of compassion for her friend, as she knew he’d figured it out too and could not imagine hearing that the man that killed your parents had just been a few feet away from you. 

“Do you mean,” Harry almost whispered and Hannah could hear the hurt in his voice. “That was _Vol_ -” 

“Harry! Hannah! There yeh are!”

Hagrid, Neville, Draco, and Fang were running along the dirt path towards them, looking scared and out of breath. 

“You two alright?” Neville puffed. “You guys look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 

“I’m fine.” Harry managed, hardly knowing what he was saying. 

“We’re alright, Neville,” Hannah said more convincingly. “The unicorn is dead Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there.” 

“This is where I leave you.” Firenze murmured as Hagrid ran off to check on the unicorn. Hannah and Harry jumped off his back and landed on the soft forest floor. “You are safe now.” he added and Hannah got the feeling he was not looking or speaking to her at all.

“Good luck, Harry Potter,” Firenze said, confirming Hannah’s feeling. “The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times. Keep your friends close, Harry.” 

And on that happy note, he turned and disappeared back into the depths of the forest, leaving the four first-years to stand alone waiting for Hagrid, wondering what exactly the centaur had meant. Hagrid returned a few moments later, the unicorn slung over his shoulder and they all walked in silence back to the edge of the forest, the mood much darker with the slain animal in their midst. Fang kept whining and Hannah had to scratch him behind his ears to keep him from howling sadly. They made it back up to the castle doors on their own, not bickering or even speaking as they walked. Draco left them at the entrance to the dungeons, absentmindedly murmuring a ‘goodbye’ as he walked away. The three Gryffindors just grunted in response and kept heading to their tower, minds too full to even process how out of character Draco’s politeness had been.

Ron and Hermione had sat up in the common room, waiting for them to return. Ron was snoring loudly while Hermione studied a book that was roughly the size of her torso and both jumped up when the portrait door opened, Ron shouting something about quidditch fouls while Hermione shook her head to get out of the reading slump she’d fallen into. Both of them needed good wake-up, and Hannah and Harry provided as soon as Neville stumbled off to bed. Their eyes widened as Harry and Hannah took turns telling their parts of the story; Hannah up bouncing on the balls of her feet while Harry paced nervously. Neither of them could sit down, they were still too packed full of adrenaline. 

“...Snape wants the stone for Voldemort…” Hannah was saying as she bounced. 

“...and Voldemort’s waiting in the forest…” Harry continued for her. 

“...Merlin, and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich…” Hannah mumbled. 

“Stop saying the name!” Ron said in a terrified whisper, like Voldemort might pop out of a couch cushion and curse the four of them. 

Hannah and Harry weren’t listening.

“Firenze saved us but he shouldn’t have… Bane was furious when he saw… kept talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen-” Harry said. 

“Bet anything they say Voldemort’s coming back. I knew the whole ‘Mars is bright tonight’ meant something weird.” Hannah said. 

“Bane thinks Firenze should’ve let Voldemort kill me… I suppose that’s written in the stars as well.” Harry continued and Hannah and Hermione looked up at him, concerned, as Ron paled once again.

 _“Will you two stop saying that fucking name!”_ Ron hissed. 

“So all I’ve got to do now is wait for Snape to steal the stone.” Harry went on feverishly as Hannah smacked Ron around the head for interrupting. “Then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off… we’ll I suppose Bane’ll be happy.” 

Hannah looked more concerned than frightened as she asked Harry to take a seat. He ignored her, so she shoved him. 

“Prongs, everyone says Dumbledore’s the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of,” Hermione said in a comforting voice when Harry situated himself in his sudden seating. “With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won’t touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that’s a very imprecise branch of magic.”

Harry’s three friends took turns saying comforting things to get him to calm down, partly for their sake along with his. They talked until the sky turned light and Hermione blinked in confusion at the brightness before telling them all to go to bed. They separated at the entrance to the different dorms as usual, saying goodnight even though it was already morning. As Harry pulled back his sheets, his heart soared when he found his invisibility cloak hidden in the covers. He’d been so upset about losing something that had belonged to his father and he felt slightly better as he picked up the cloak and read the note that was attached. He frowned at the same slanted handwriting that had been on the previous note. 

_Just in case._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees  
> sorry for the late chapter again. yucky new work schedule. i would've uploaded it yesterday but i felt like my tiredness was showing in my writing and i had to read it over after a few hours sleep (and thank god i did)  
> anyways, hope u liked this chapter


	13. Asleep - Year One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the Philosopher's stone.  
> *mention of sex around the middle of the chapter*

_Daddy,_

_Happy Birthday! Hope Andy and Ted take you out for dinner. I wish I could be there to celebrate with you, I know you’re old as hell now and probably need help getting around. Just kidding. (32 is kind of old though) Let me know how the birthday celebrations go and say hi to everyone for me. I've attached your present to this letter and hopefully Ziggy won’t drop it or something. In case he does, it was a copy of 1984 by George Orwell. I saw it in a catalog Hermione’s Mum sent her since she’s always buying new books and I don’t know if you’ve already read it but I thought you might like it. I decided to draw on the front page. Bet you won’t mind._

_Detention didn’t go so great. Something had been killing unicorns in the forest so our job was to go out with Hagrid and find it. To make a long story short, we did. We split up so Harry, the Malfoy boy I told you about, and I all found the dead unicorn at the same time. It was really sad, seeing something that pure wounded like that. It was already dead when we found it but this thing came out of the woods and started drinking its blood. We only got away because of a centaur named Firenze and he told us that the thing was Voldemort trying to come back to power._

_Harry is really worried now and so am I. I keep seeing the thing drinking that unicorns blood in my sleep. It's really scary and I’ve started sleeping in Hermione’s bed again. I’d still rather sleep in my bed though. I want to come home._

_People are still being mean about the points but now we study for exams so much I hardly notice. I’ll be glad when the year is over and I can spend time with my friends outside of school. How is grandpa doing? He didn’t answer my last letter._

_love and miss you,_

_Hannah_

_**_

_Puppy,_

_Thanks for the birthday wishes. We just ate at Andy’s house since I was feeling a bit under the weather. 32 is not that old, thank you. And I'll say it again I definitely don't look my age so, suck it. You were right I do like the book you sent. I’m only halfway through the second chapter but it's very interesting so far and will be great to read during work so thank you for that. I did enjoy your art on the front page too. Such a talented girl._

_I’m sorry to hear your detention took such a bad turn. I didn’t expect you to be out doing such a big thing either. My first detention I had to write lines but I suppose you did a little worse than fall asleep at a library table and wake up way past your curfew. Still, the forest is a big deal and I’m surprised you were left unsupervised._

_A centaur? Seriously? You’ll have to tell me more about that when you get home. Have you or Harry spoken to Minerva about what you saw in the forest? Centaurs are supposed to be very intelligent; I’m sure he wouldn’t have led you to believe what you saw in the forest was Voldemort without good reason. That’s very concerning. I hope Harry is doing okay, I can’t imagine what that’s like for him._

_I’m sorry you’re having nightmares, love. I wish you were home too and I’m sorry school is so rough right now. My first year was difficult too but it’ll get better. When you come back next year no one will remember a thing, I promise. Just focus on your exams and keep your head up. You’ll be home soon._

_Don’t stop spending time with your friends. They’ll help you through this where I can’t._

_I haven’t heard from Lyall but I’ll stop by his house and let you know how he’s doing in my next letter._

_I love you,_

_Dad_

_**_

_Daddy,_

_I stayed after class yesterday and told Minerva everything Harry and I saw. I honestly don’t know why I didn’t think to do that in the first place. But now she knows and she told Dumbledore. Security has gotten stricter and curfew has been shortened but at least Harry doesn’t look like he expects Voldemort to walk into class any moment._

_I can tell from your response that you’ve read the book before. I’m honestly not surprised, I don’t think there’s a book out there you haven’t read. But my updated version is probably better. Happy to hear the celebrations went well._

_Let me know about grandpa. He still hasn’t answered and it’s been a week. I’m starting to get worried._

_I love you,_

_Hannah_

Remus sighed at his daughter’s short response as he folded the letter back up and stuck it in the envelope it had been sent in. Walking up to his office to place the letter in the growing stack that he’d been making since her first week, Remus’ mind remained on his daughter. Her letters had gone from blow-by-blow shots of her school day to small paragraphs full of worry and forced jokes. He really was concerned about her well-being, especially since her opening up about the nightmares. He knew she’d meant his bed when she’d talked about missing her own, for every time Hannah had a nightmare he’d hear her little footsteps at the foot of his bed, standing there obviously trying to be quiet while small sniffles and sobs moved her body. Remus would always have to turn away from his side of the bed and ask her what was wrong, always to the same answer. 

‘I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you?’

Her nightmares had been nothing when she was younger; flashbacks of clips of a scary movie she’d seen over his shoulder or irrational childish fears of the dark and what lurked in her closet. But as she got older her knowledge of what went on around her grew, and he started to hear muffled murmurs about the wolf taking him when she fell asleep glued to his side after a bad night. It always tore Remus up inside to hear her worry, made him feel guilty for indulging in such human-like activities like having a child. He didn’t deserve her. And now he’d created another person to miss him when he was inevitably killed during one of his transformations. It was selfish and he’d let Sirius take over his mind as usual when he’d agreed. But Remus could never bring himself to wish he hadn’t done it. Hannah was the best thing that had ever happened to him; he could say it in full confidence if anyone ever asked simply because it was true. There were no real downsides to having her besides the reminder of Sirius on her face and in certain aspects of her personality. But that wasn’t bad if she took the things about Sirius that Remus had treasured the most and made Remus treasure them in a different way. He would never grow to regret what he’d brought him, and if he could thank Sirius for anything it would be helping him bring his own child into the world.

That didn’t change the fact that his own child was having nightmares without him to comfort her though. And that was something Remus constantly thought about, his baby all alone after seeing something that would’ve caused full-grown adults to have nightmares. Yeah, he definitely didn’t approve of the forest as detention. He’d be writing to Minerva about that one. 

Remus stepped back down into their living room and put on a pair of shoes, preparing to floo to Lyall’s house and see what had taken him so long to answer his daughter. He knew it wouldn’t be a pleasant visit, experiences with his father hardly ever were, but he knew that Hannah was probably very concerned for her grandfather and it would be best if he responded to whatever message she’d sent instead of letting her worry. It did not cross Remus’ mind even for a second that something might be genuinely wrong with Lyall, he hadn’t taken his illness seriously at all since Christmas so he got ready huffing and irritated, preparing for the argument he thought he was going to have with his father. He was taken aback when he stepped out of the fireplace and called his father’s name to no answer. It was unusual for Lyall to not jump up at the sound of Remus entering, screaming at him for coming in unannounced or for really coming in at all. So Remus remembered the illness and his heart dropped an inch or two as he searched his childhood home for his father. He wasn’t in the living room or either of the bedrooms and when Remus knocked on the bathroom door it swung open silently, revealing another empty space. He was starting to get seriously concerned as he walked out to the dining room at a fast pace, calling Lyall’s name with a bit of panic in his voice. He should've been checking in regularly, no matter what his father would’ve said to him. Lyall said he had not been faking the sickness and shouldn’t that have made Remus concerned? But he’d just brushed it off and attacked for his daughter’s sake. Fuck, if he was somewhere dead alone it was Remus’ fault, without a doubt. Panic started to rise faster and faster as Remus searched the house and more thoughts of blame ran through his head as he opened the door to the back porch and stuck his head out to call for his father with no answer. He finally made it to the kitchen and almost fainted with relief when he looked up at the fridge and saw the note tacked there in his father’s handwriting. 

Remus scowled as he read the note; it had definitely been left for him. It was sweet and to the point, informing him that he was irresponsible and unfit to parent if he didn’t even bother checking in on his own father before letting him know he’d been taken to Saint Mungo’s to be a permanent resident. Anger rushed in Remus’ ears as he crumpled up the note and floo'd home. What had stopped Lyall from sending the note to him instead of tacking it to his fridge? And if he was well enough to write the note why wasn’t he well enough to write Hannah back? The answer was plain and simple, like it had always been with his father. Make Remus feel bad by any means necessary. What did Lyall care if he set his granddaughter on edge with worry if he’d successfully made Remus convince himself he was the bad guy? 

Remus paced the floor of his living room with the crumpled note out in his hands, reading it over and over again as his vision went black around the edges with anger. He’d at least told him where he was in Saint Mungo’s, though that was probably more for Hannah when she returned home for summer break. But the information was still there…

Remus made up his mind and stepped back in the fireplace, calling out St. Mungo’s in a loud clear voice when he felt more like screaming uncontrollably. He strode out of the fireplace a few seconds later to stand in the line of the waiting room at St. Mungo’s. It was later on a weekday so there were only two people in front of him; a chubby witch that kept making a loud screeching sound without opening her mouth and a small wizard with two bleach blonde children holding onto his hands. The wizard at the reception’s desk ordered the screeching woman to the fourth floor before showing the family of three which room their mother was in. Remus felt rather bad for the small family as they walked away, looking somber with puffy eyes and messed up hair like they hadn’t gotten much sleep. The wizard at the reception’s desk broke him out of his polite smiling at the family with a bored voice. 

“Next!” 

Remus turned and walked over to the desk where a man around his age stood with raised eyebrows. He had medium-length black hair that was pulled back on his head in a low ponytail and rather sharp features that made him look like a weird sort of bird dressed in his light blue uniform. 

“Can I help you, sir?” the man asked in a charming voice that Remus did not miss had changed from the bored voice that he’d been using moments ago.

“Ah, yes you may.” Remus said in his usual polite manner as he took the crumpled note out of his pocket and reread it with squinted eyes. 

“If you’re here to visit someone I can just take the name and find out what ward they’re in.” the receptionist pointed out with a smile, reaching over the table to touch the hand that held Lyall’s note. Remus raised his eyebrows at the unnecessary touch and looked up at the man who smiled at him brightly. Oh, he was flirting. That’s what this was. 

“No, I have it right here,” Remus said with a smile and the man pulled his hand back as Remus held up the note again and read off his father’s words. “Non-magical related illnesses. The name is Lyall Lupin.” 

“Right, that’s the second floor all the way down. He’ll be in the separate ward for long-term patients so just take a right at the end of the hall.” the receptionist said with a charming smile. Remus returned it politely before turning to the double doors and walking out into the narrow hallway behind them. The walls were lined with portraits of old famous Healers that shouted instructions at the green-cloaked wizards and witches that swarmed the hallway around Remus. He pushed himself to the furthest wall to stay out of the way as he walked, unfortunately bumping right into a painting of an old fat Healer, whose face lit up at the sight of him. 

“Those scars, young man, such a pity!” the Healer said as he ran along other paintings to keep up with Remus and pushed their occupants to the side, ignoring their complaints. Remus just forced a smile and a nod as he sped up to reach the second set of doors at the end of the hall. 

“Fortunately I know just the thing to clear those up!” 

“Is that so?” Remus said with another forced smile as he pushed open the double doors and started to climb the staircase. Unluckily for him, more paintings lined the walls inside the stairwell and the fat Healer continued running along beside him, huffing and slightly out of breath. 

“Yes, good sir, just the thing! An invention of my own from my years of healing… it’s a potion you see, must be spread over the afflicted areas twice every hour. Do that for the rest of your life and the scars will stay gone! Works like a charm!” 

“Sounds very tempting.” Remus said politely as he pushed open the doors to the second floor and walked out, steering himself over to the opposite side of the wall so the fat Healer could not bother him anymore. He made it to the end of the hallway and hooked right like the receptionist had told him to, opening the door to a smaller room with four beds set up against the walls, two on each side. A skinny dark-skin nurse looked up at him at the sound of the door opening. 

“Visiting?” she asked politely and Remus nodded.

“Yes, just him right there.” he said with a smile as he pointed to the bed at the end of the room that a scowling Lyall occupied. 

“Okay, take your time.” the nurse said and Remus nodded at her again as he walked over to his father’s bed and stood at the foot of it, not bothering to pull up a chair as he planned on the talk being relatively short. 

“You’ll be happy to know Hannah wrote to me concerned for your health and making me promise to check on you.” 

“I don’t know why I’d be happy about that, Remus.” Lyall said in a bored voice as he propped the book he’d been reading back up into his lap and tried to ignore his son, though Remus could see his eyes weren’t moving across the page. Lyall was dressed in plain white pajamas and he looked older than Remus had ever seen him. The bags under his eyes were more pronounced, purplish in the hospital light, and the liver spot on his hands and arms seemed to be spreading by the second. He looked too thin to be healthy and his hair had gone completely white where it had been streaked with its old auburn before the sickness. 

“Because I found this.” Remus said as he threw the note that had been tacked onto the fridge in his father’s lap. Lyall ignored him. 

“You’re about to die and you still act like a fucking child, you know that right?” Remus said in a whisper as he leaned forward over his father’s bed. Lyall looked up with a bored expression on his face. 

“Do you have anything else to say?” Lyall asked as he flicked the note with the abusive words about his son off the side of his bed. Remus straightened and forced a smile on his face, trying not to back out of what he wanted to say now that Lyall was acting nonchalant and not attacking back. It had been what he’d always done, stir Remus to his breaking point, and then when he snapped, putting on a calm persona so Remus felt like he was being emotional and overreacting and Lyall got to blame it on the wolf. But Remus was past playing into his father’s manipulation tactics. 

“Just write Hannah back. And remember I’ll be the one taking her to see you in here and I can always say no to her.” Remus said and Lyall looked up with a raised eyebrow. 

“You and I both know you won’t do that, Remus.” Lyall said. 

“Oh yeah? Try me.” Remus said before bending back over the bed to look at his father closer, noticing he’d gone slightly paler. 

“You look like shit, by the way.” Remus whispered with a smile and Lyall’s mouth twisted into a grimace as Remus stood and walked out of the door, politely saying goodbye to the nurse who had feigned deafness for their entire conversation. He sped down the hallway with a slight spring in his step; making Lyall feel bad always put Remus in a good mood and it had taken years to let himself like that side of him but now that he’d reached it he never wanted to let go. Lyall had abused him throughout his entire childhood, with snide comments when his mother was alive and then once she died with words and actions. Remus had no love in his heart for Lyall and it had come down to Sirius teaching him that it was okay to hate his father for him to allow himself to acknowledge the hate and not feel guilty for it. When Sirius was arrested, Remus hardly had anyone so he went back and sought a relationship with his father, hoping that maybe Lyall would have changed his mind or felt guilt for his actions. But he’d just attached himself to Hannah and forced Remus to the side again, leaving his son to go through the same battle that he had before, teaching himself this time that it was okay to hate the people that treated you badly. 

Remus opened the double doors to the lobby and stepped out to see the room empty except for the same receptionist before who smiled at him. Remus’ head felt fuzzy and blank as he walked over to the man and smiled back when he raised his eyebrows at him.

“What time do you get off?” Remus asked and the man laughed for a second, obviously taken aback at Remus’ forwardness. 

“In ten minutes.” the receptionist said with a grin once he’d regained his composure. Remus grinned back.

“Cool. I’ll wait for you outside then.” Remus said and without waiting for an answer he straightened and walked out of the visitor’s entrance, stepping into the busy muggle street and propping himself up against the wall with a sigh. He hadn’t really felt like wasting time with the other man, he’d known exactly what he wanted just by speaking to him and his conversation with his father had set Remus off into a rare reckless mood. He checked his watch and noted that it was getting late, he hadn’t realized how much time searching and then speaking to Lyall had taken. A few minutes later the black-haired man stepped out beside him and grinned before taking his hand and steering him down the road, telling him that his place was closer. So the other man was not going to waste any time either, that was perfect, exactly what Remus wanted. If he’d given it more than a minute or two of thought he probably would’ve just gone home and had a shower. He probably would’ve remembered his promise to not do things like this anymore. But the other man had a tight grip on his hand and when the streetlight hit the dark black hair on his head it reminded him of something that felt like home, so Remus allowed himself to be pulled into a dingy flat and have a new person’s lips touch his. They stumbled into what must’ve been the receptionist's bedroom and he flicked on the light with a finger as his other hand rubbed the bulge in Remus’ jeans. 

“No lights.” Remus mumbled and reached over to turn them back off. He knew that this man was a wizard and if he saw the bite or the many scars on Remus’ body he’d know immediately what he was, and that was too dangerous. 

“Mmk.” the other man said as Remus moved them both to the bed and landed on it with a soft thump. If he’d thought about what he was planning to do before doing it, Remus might’ve had a nice night. He could’ve gone home, made some tea, and finished the book that his daughter had sent him but he’d let impulse take over when the other man smiled and now here he was. Could he blame that on the argument with Lyall or was that just him? Remus didn’t know and didn’t particularly care as he cursed himself in his head for putting himself in another situation like this, using yet another person when he didn’t need or want them. 

The receptionist’s arms were shaking as he tried to keep himself up and arch his back at the same time, so Remus grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him down into his bed to steady himself. Remus tried to ignore the sounds the receptionist was making as they did nothing for him. It got old very fast for Remus, and he didn’t look nearly as good as Sirius always had from this angle. His heart skipped a beat as the name crossed Remus’ mind and he found himself going faster, trying to finish so he could be done and go home. The moonlight caught his hair and pale broad shoulders at that angle again and Remus acted before he really knew what he was doing, leaning back and squinting so his vision was marred slightly and the other man looked exactly like Sirius. He finally finished, laying down on top of the man who's name he had not even bothered to learn. He felt the man shaking underneath him and knew that he’d finished as well. Disgusted with himself, Remus stood up and walked over to the bathroom, disposing of the condom and throwing the clothes that he’d grabbed from the floor back on. He walked back out to the room where the man laid out on the bed still, smiling at him charmingly. He really was handsome, even if his features were a bit too sharp and he was a great deal smaller than Remus would’ve normally preferred. The realization didn’t make him feel any better. 

“You going somewhere?” the man said with a forced laugh and raised eyebrows. 

“Er… yes… should probably get home.” Remus said as he tried to make his way to the door. The receptionist narrowed his eyes at him. 

“What, wife and kids?” he asked and Remus almost laughed.

“No, no. Nothing like that.”

“Then what’s your address? I’ll write to you.” the receptionist said. 

“I… uh… no?” 

“No?”

“Yeah… no.” 

The other man’s mouth fell open and he remained silent as Remus crossed the room and showed himself to the door. He walked out into the living room and found his shoes, slipping them on he hopped to the front door, opened it, and stepped outside. 

“ASSHOLE!” 

Remus almost didn’t hear him as he shut the door behind himself and began to walk to the alley they’d passed on the way there that he’d noted at the time would be a good place to apparate from. He didn’t notice the tears pouring down his cheeks as he walked through the cold weather and to the alley. It made him feel pathetic and hopeless, that Sirius could still affect him this way after all this time. That all it had taken to send Remus into a downward spiral was an argument with his father and a smile from a man with black hair. It was too much and though the moon was still a few weeks off, Remus hardly made it to his shower before breaking down into sobs. He hated how he’d used that man, it made him feel sick to think about what kind of impression he’d left on him and what would happen to his self-esteem after Remus just walked out. Maybe he should go back tomorrow… say he was sorry. No, that wouldn’t do anything but remind him, and if the man wanted to do anything again Remus would say yes without even thinking about it and the cycle would repeat itself. He had to forget. Like he always wanted to.

Remus dried off after his shower and scrubbed the tears off his face, willing himself to forget and move on like nothing had happened. He slipped into clean pajamas and threw himself down on his bed, picking up the book Hannah had sent him as he walked. He situated himself and then flipped it open, pausing to smile at the cover page. Hannah was relatively good at drawing, but Remus could see this was some of her best work and noted the eraser smudges along the sides of the doodle and knew she’d taken a lot of her time up with it. She’d drawn him, sitting with a party hat on top of his head and a big smile on his face as he waved out to whoever opened the book. She’d drawn streamers around him and a small banner that read ‘Happy Birthday to the World’s Dorkiest Dad!’. Remus rolled his eyes as he flicked past the drawing to the page he’d been on before and started to read, pushing all thoughts of Sirius and the receptionist out of his head as he sunk himself into the book he’d read thrice before. 

**

Hannah thought the exams were stupid and tried talking each and every one of her friends into a lawsuit towards the school, with unfortunately no takers. Harry and Ron had considered it for a while before Hermione stepped in and crushed the idea, saying that just because Hannah had unnecessarily studied for things that didn’t end up on the final exam didn’t mean she could sue the school. 

“That should be illegal, Moony.” Hannah said for the fourth time that night as the four marauders sat around a library table and studied for their Transfiguration exam which was the next day. 

“But now you know a little bit of extra information and there’s nothing wrong with that!” Hermione argued back and Harry and Ron rolled their eyes as Hannah slammed her fists down on the table. 

“There are so many things wrong with that! I almost lost my sanity studying for that History of Magic exam.” Hannah argued back and Hermione rolled her eyes.

“Oh, honestly, Pads you’re so dramatic-” 

“What’s going on here?” Madam Pince interrupted and the four friends jumped, as they’d been very invested in their argument and hadn’t seen her approach their table. Hannah smiled at her when her heart rate returned to its normal speed. 

“Studying for Transfiguration tomorrow, ma’am.” she said politely in the voice she always used when talking to teachers or other people of authority. 

“It’s getting close to curfew. You four better head back up to your common room.” Madam Pince said, immune as always to Hannah’s forced politeness. The marauders grumbled as they packed up their things but knew better than to argue back with the old librarian. Curfew had been cut almost in half with the new information about Voldemort’s return so it was still light outside as the four first years made their way back to their common room, planning on continuing their studying in their four favorite armchairs by the window. No one had been told exactly why security had gotten stricter around Hogwarts, just that an unknown threat had been placed on the school and they were taking necessary precautions. Most students were irritated by the new rules, especially older ones like Percy who made it very clear that he thought since he was a prefect Dumbledore should’ve at least concealed the details of the threat with him. But Hannah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all thankful for the increase in security and though they never spoke about it, Draco was too. He had no idea what that thing in the forest had been and he had not bothered to ask Harry or Hannah if they’d found out but was more than happy to follow the curfew and increased security rules. 

The four friends circled around their armchairs and sat, pulling out the homework they’d been studying in the library moments before. 

“I honestly think I’ve got this in the bag.” Hannah said as she leaned back in her seat and propped her feet up on Harry’s knees. Harry smiled at the touch and she grinned back. He’d been a nervous wreck over the past couple of days but as soon as Dumbledore had been made aware of the situation, his fears seemed to have disappeared. Hannah was happy to have her care-free friend back but wondered very often if he was having the same nightmares she was. She just needed someone to talk to about it besides Hermione and Remus. Someone that had seen it too…

“You said the same thing about potions.” Ron said in a bored voice and Hannah grimaced. 

“Well, with the written portion I know I did good but how are we expected to remember how to make a forgetfulness potion with Professor slimeball breathing down our necks?” Hannah said and the other three laughed. 

“I swear he dripped grease on my eels eyes when he walked past.” Ron mocked and Hermione faked-gagged, causing them all to giggle again. They went to bed late that night, minds stuffed to the brim with information about transfiguration, all the first years muttering Minerva’s words under their breaths in nervousness. Hannah watched curiously as Lavender tucked a pile of notes underneath her pillow. 

“What’d you do that for?” Hannah asked and Lavender straightened and smiled at her.

“It’s something my brother showed me. You sleep with all the information you need to remember underneath your pillow so that you think about it all night.” Lavender said with a grin and Hannah returned it as Hermione came out of the bathroom dressed in pajamas. 

“What are we talking about?” she asked and when Hannah explained she smiled. 

“I used to do that for my vocabulary tests when I was younger.” she said and Hannah decided then that she loved the idea, and tucked her pile of notes underneath Hermione’s pillow before climbing in after her and letting her friend wrap her arms around her. Lavender and Parvati had gotten very used to seeing the two girls disappear behind their curtains together every night and didn’t pass any judgment on them, as they knew that people had been hard on them lately and they probably needed each other’s comfort. Lavender and Parvati alone had remained on good terms with the two other girls after Hannah lost all those points for Gryffindor, something Hannah and Hermione were very grateful for since they liked the other two girls a lot. 

Transfiguration was their last exam of the day and after an hour and a half of writing down the different theories and meanings of the spells they’d learned, Minerva turned to the class and congratulated them all on finishing their first year exams. Hannah and Ron cheered the loudest among their class, while Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes behind their two friends and clapped along politely. They were dismissed and ran out to the courtyard where everyone else was, trying to ignore the extra patrols of Professors as they flung themselves down under a large willow tree and basked in the sun. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of the giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows and the four marauders watched them with some interest. Hermione tried going over the different questions and what she thought she got right for a while but Ron said that made him feel ill so she stopped and they were all silent for a beat, until Hannah straightened and ran fingers through her black hair, pushing it out of her face haughtily. 

“I’m bored.” she complained. 

“Well, what do you want to do?” Harry asked with a raised eyebrow as he sat up on his elbows.

“Dunno, just… not this.” Hannah said as she gestured around her. 

“We could talk about the History of Magic exam again. I can’t remember if I got that one citation of the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct-” Hermione started but was quickly cut off. 

“Definitely not that either.” Hannah said as she threw herself back down on the ground. 

“Well, if you’re not going to suggest anything don’t complain.” Harry snapped and the other three looked up at him with raised eyebrows, especially Hannah.

“Jesus, Prongs, who pissed in your cereal?” Hannah teased. 

“Sorry… sorry…. I shouldn’t have said that.” he said immediately as he rubbed his scar and the other three shrugged, as they knew Harry was still dealing with a lot whether the security had increased or not.

“I just wish I knew what this _means_!” he burst out angrily, causing the other three to jump as they’d gone back to spacing out. 

“Your scar hurting?” Hannah asked and Harry nodded. 

“It’s happened before, but never as often as this.” he complained. 

“Go to Madam Pomfrey.” Hermione suggested. 

“I’m not ill. I think it’s a warning… it means danger’s coming…” Harry said and Hannah grimaced and shared a look with Hermione. Ron just sighed, as it was a bit too hot for him to get worked up over anything. 

“Prongs, relax. Moony’s right, the stone’s safe as long as Dumbledore’s around. Anyway, we’ve never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he’s not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down.” 

“All facts.” Hannah added helpfully from the grass and Harry nodded, but he couldn’t shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he’d forgotten to do, something important. 

“I just feel like I’m forgetting to do something.” Harry said and ignored the sighs that came from Hannah and Ron. 

“That’s just the exams. I woke up the other night and was halfway through my charms notes before I remembered we’d done that one.” Hermione said comfortingly and Harry just nodded and laid back, trying to forget the nagging feeling as Hannah teased Hermione for reciting her notes in her sleep. 

“Oh, you are such a liar-” Hermione was arguing back as Harry suddenly jumped to his feet, startling the rest of his friends. 

“Where're you going?” Ron asked sleepily. 

"I’ve just thought of something,” Harry said and the other three raised their heads at the sound of panic in his voice. “We’ve got to go and see Hagrid, now.” 

And he took off, the other three grumbling as they jumped up and followed him on his run to Hagrid’s hut.

“Why?” Hermione panted as they ran. 

“Don’t you think it’s a bit odd that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it’s against wizarding law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don’t you think? Why didn’t I see it before?” Harry said very fast as they all climbed a grassy slope.

“What are you going on about?” Hannah asked but Harry did not answer, just picked up the pace to the small wooden hut in the distance. Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl. 

“Hullo,” he said with a smile. “Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?”

“Yes, please.” Ron and Hannah said in unison but Harry cut them off. 

“No, we’re in a hurry, Hagrid, I’ve got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?” 

“Dunno,” Hagrid said casually. “He wouldn’ take off his cloak.” 

The four friends looked stunned and Hagrid raised his eyebrows in response. 

“It’s not that unusual, yeh get a lot o’ funny folk in the Hog’s Head… that’s the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn’ he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up.” Hagrid said in what he obviously thought was a reasonable voice. Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas and the other three looked nervous as they’d now caught on to what Harry was getting at. 

“What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?” Harry asked and Hagrid frowned before answering. 

“Mighta come up. Yeah… he asked what I did, an’ I told him I was gamekeeper here… he asked a bit about the sorta creatures I look after… so I told him… an’ I said what I’d always really wanted was a dragon… an’ then… I can’ remember too well, ‘cause he kept buyin’ me drinks… let’s see… yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an’ we could play cards fer it if I wanted… but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn’ want it ter go ter any old home… so I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy…” 

“And did he… did he seem interested in Fluffy?” Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm. 

“Well, yeah, how many three-headed dogs d’yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy’s a piece of cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus’ play him a bit o’ music an’ he’ll go straight to sleep-” 

Hagrid suddenly looked horrified, a look that was mirrored by the four first years that stood around him. 

“I shouldn’ta told yeh that!” he blurted out. “Forget I said it! Hey… where ya goin?” 

But the four marauders had turned on the spot and all but sprinted to the front doors of the entrance hall, none of them speaking as they all mutually felt like pissing themselves. 

“Shit… shit.... shit… shit… shit…” Hannah mumbled as she ran her fingers through her hair and paced the floor of the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds. The other three surrounded her and Hermione grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her into their group huddle, telling her to shut up. 

“We’ve got to go to Dumbledore,” Harry said and the other three nodded in agreement. “Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak… it must’ve been easy, once he’d got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn’t stop him and we can always ask Hannah’s dad if it comes down to it. Where’s Dumbledore’s office?” 

They looked around as if hoping to see a sign pointing towards where they needed to go. They’d never been told where Dumbledore’s office was and now that they thought about it, didn’t know anyone that had been up to see him.

“We’ll just have to-” Harry began, but was cut off by a sudden voice from down the hall. Hannah breathed a sigh of relief as the other three tensed. 

“What are you four doing inside?” Minerva asked, coming down the hallway with a large stack of books. 

“We want to see Professor Dumbledore.” Hermione said, rather bravely, Harry and Ron thought. 

“We need to see him.” Hannah corrected.

“See Professor Dumbledore? Why?” Minerva asked as she looked over her four students. Harry swallowed hard and Hannah meant to speak before him but he cut her off, taking the lead as always. 

“It’s sort of secret.” he mumbled and Minerva’s nostrils flared. Hannah rolled her eyes before taking a deep breath, knowing how much trouble she might get in for what she was about to say but doing it anyway.

“It’s about the Philosopher’s stone, Professor.” Hannah said in her best teacher's voice. Whatever Minerva had been expecting, it wasn’t that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms but she didn’t pick them up.

“How do you know-?” she spluttered and Harry intervened as Ron and Hermione bent over to stack Minerva’s books back up and hand them to her nervously. 

“We just need to talk to Professor Dumbledore about it.” Harry said, dodging her question for now. Minerva regained her composure once she had her books back in her arms and cleared her throat before speaking. 

“Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago,” she said coldly. “He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once.” 

“He’s gone?” Harry said frantically. “ _Now_?” 

“Yes, Potter, _now,_ ” Minerva said and she took one look at the desperate expressions on the friend’s faces and sighed before leaning in to speak. “Whatever you four are up to, drop it right now. The Philosopher’s stone is not to be known by the students and I have no idea how the four of you found out about it, but it is none of your concern. I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine before curfew.” 

And without waiting for a response, she walked off. The four marauders waited until her footsteps quieted until grouping up again. 

“It’s tonight,” Harry said. “Snape’s going through the trapdoor tonight. He’s found out everything he needs, and now he’s got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry will be real shocked when Dumbledore turns up.” 

“So what do we-” Hannah started but was interrupted by a gasp from Hermione. She whipped around to the unpleasant sight of Snape, leaning over the four children with a smirk on his face.

“Good afternoon.” he said smoothly. 

They just stared at him. 

“You shouldn’t be inside on a day like this.” Snape said with an odd, twisted smile. 

“Uh…” Hannah started. 

“We were-” Harry began, without any idea what he was going to say. 

“You want to be more careful,” Snape said with a sneer. “Hanging around like this, people will think you’re… up to something. And Gryffindor can’t afford to lose any more points, can it?” 

Hannah and Harry flushed at the low jab but said nothing as they turned around and made to walk back outside. 

“Be warned… any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure the two of you are expelled.” Snape said to Hannah and Harry, completely disregarding their friends beside them. “I don’t care what _daddy_ says. Good day to you.” 

And Snape turned and left, leaving Hannah’s face red with anger as her friends discussed tactics. 

“...wait outside the staffroom and follow him if he leaves-” Harry was saying but Hannah turned and cut him off. 

“No.”

“What?”

“I said no. He wants us to stay inside at night, you heard him. So he’s planning to steal it at nighttime. What we need to do is look innocent and unsuspecting, and go down to Fluffy tonight to head him off.” Hannah said and Hermione and Ron looked aghast.

“You’re mad!” Ron said. 

“We can’t!” Hermione said. “After what McGonagall and Snape just said? We’ll be expelled!” 

Hannah opened her mouth to argue but Harry cut her off and they all looked at him, unaware he’d been getting angry during their argument.

“SO WHAT?” he shouted. “Don’t you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort’s coming back. Hannah’s the only one who seems to get how terrible that would be for all of us but I guess that’s just because she’s been affected by him too. Haven’t you two heard the stories of what it was like when he was powerful before? There won’t be any Hogwarts to get expelled from if he takes over. He’ll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the dark arts. Losing points doesn’t matter anymore, can’t you see? D’you think he’ll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the stone, well, I’ll have to go back to the Dursley’s and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it’s only dying a bit later than I would have, because I’m never going over to the dark side! I’m going through the trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?” 

He glared and Ron and Hermione and Hannah put a small hand on his shoulder. 

“No one's going to die, Prongs. We’re going to save the stone and bring it to Dumbledore ourselves, and I’ll be with you every step of the way.” 

“You’re right, Harry.” Hermione said in a small voice. 

“Sorry, mate. We’ll come with you too.” Ron said with a small smile.

“No.. you guys don’t have to come with me.” Harry said and the other three rolled their eyes. 

“You don’t seriously expect to go by yourself, do you?” Ron said with a smirk. 

“How do you think you’ll get to the stone without us? I’d better go and look through my books, there might be something useful." Hermione said. 

"We’ll have to use the cloak and the map as well. Lucky you got it back, too.” Hannah said.

“I’ll have to bend my knees though, that’s so uncomfor-” Ron started but Harry cut him off.

“But if we get caught, you guys will be expelled too.” Harry said.

“Not if I can help it,” Hermione said grimly. “Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve percent on my charms exam. They’re not throwing me out after that.” 

“And it won’t matter either way if we’re fighting Voldemort.” Hannah said with a smile and she took a deep breath before throwing her arm around Ron and leading her friends back out to the courtyard. They spent the rest of the day out in the sun, trying to look relaxed as both Minerva and Snape did their patrols around the courtyard. They ate dinner quietly, Hermione skimming through all her notes to try and find something helpful while Ron picked at his food. Hannah and Harry were thankful for the first time ever that everyone was ignoring them as they felt if anyone asked them even a simple question, they’d vomit all over themselves, their nerves were so bad. They went back up to their common room and waited for it to empty, Ron and Hannah playing a half-hearted game of chess while Hermione and Harry watched. 

Once the common room was empty, Harry ran up to his dorm and grabbed the cloak, running back down in time to see Hannah leave her own dorm with the map clutched in her hand. 

“We’d better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all four of us… if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own-” 

“What are you doing?” said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor, who looked as though he’d been making another bid for freedom. 

“Nothing, Neville, nothing,” Harry said, hurriedly putting the cloak behind his back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione take the map from Hannah and stick it in her back pocket. 

Neville stared at their guilty faces. 

“You’re going out again.” he said.

“No, no, no,” Hermione said. “No, we’re not. Why don’t you go to bed, Neville?” 

Hannah checked Harry’s watch beside her and grimaced. They couldn’t afford to waste any more time, Snape might even be playing Fluffy to sleep at that very moment. 

“You can’t go out,” Neville said. “You’ll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble.” 

“Neville, this is different. We won’t get caught.” Hannah said reasonably. 

“Yeah, you don’t understand.” Harry said. “This is important.” 

But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate. 

“I won’t let you do it,” He said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. “I’ll… I’ll fight you!” 

_“Neville,_ ” Ron exploded. “Get away from that hole and don’t be an idiot-”

“Don’t you call me an idiot!” Neville shouted. “I don’t think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!” 

“Yes, but not to _us._ ” Ron said in an exasperated voice. “Neville, you don’t know what you’re doing.” 

He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor, who leaped out of sight. 

“Go on then, try and hit me!” Neville said as he raised his chubby fists. “I’m ready!” 

Harry turned to Hannah and Hermione, pleased to see they were already sharing a look. 

“Stupefy?” Hannah suggested and Hermione shook her head.

“I haven’t perfected it and neither have you, I don’t want to hurt him.” 

“Just do a full body-bind then.” 

“And leave him awake on the floor?” 

“What other choice do we have?” 

“I guess you’re right.” Hermione sighed and she stepped forward. 

“Neville, I’m really, really sorry about this.” she said as she raised her wand at Neville, whose eyes widened in fear. 

_“Petrificus Totalus!”_ she cried and Neville’s arms and legs snapped to his sides before he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board. Hannah ran over and flipped him on his back, patting him awkwardly on the head when she saw his wide eyes were full of tears. 

“What have you done to him?” Harry whispered.

“It’s the full-body bind,” Hermione said miserably. “Oh, Neville, I’m so sorry.” 

“We had to, Neville, no time to explain.” Harry said.

“You’ll understand later, Neville.” Ron said as he stepped over to where Harry was unfolding the invisibility cloak. Hannah paused as she hung over Neville. 

“I’m really sorry,” she whispered sadly. “We won’t get caught, I promise.” 

But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn’t feel like a very good omen. Their nervous state turned every suit of armor into Filch and every creaky floorboard into Snape and even with the map out they whipped around at any sound. At the foot of the first flight of stairs, they ran into Mrs. Norris, who turned her lamp-like eyes on them as they passed but did nothing. 

“Oh, let’s kick her, just this once.” Ron whispered and Hannah snickered while Harry and Hermione shook their heads. They didn’t meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so people would trip. 

“Who’s there?” he said suddenly as they climbed toward him. “Know you’re there, even if I can’t see you. Are you a ghoulie or a ghostie or a student beastie?” 

He rose up into the air and floated there, squinting at them. Hannah got a strong urge to laugh and had to force it down. 

“Should call Filch, I should, if something’s a-creeping around unseen.” 

Harry suddenly had an idea. 

“Peeves,” he said in a hoarse whisper, causing Hannah, Ron, and Hermione all to jump at the sudden sound of his voice. “The Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible.” 

Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. 

“So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, sir,” he said greasily. “My mistake, my mistake… I didn’t see you… of course, I didn’t, you’re invisible.... Forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir.” 

“I have business here, Peeves,” Harry croaked. “Stay away from this place tonight.” 

“I will, sir, I most certainly will.” Peeves said, rising up in the air again. “Hope your business goes well, Baron, I’ll not bother you.” 

And he flew off.

“Brilliant, Prongs!” Ron whispered.

“No kidding!” Hannah said excitedly. “I could kiss you right now, that was amazing!” 

“You’d… huh… you… wha-” 

“Nevermind that, let’s get going!” Hermione cut off Harry’s spluttering and led them towards the third-floor corridor, where the door was already ajar. 

“Well, there you are,” Harry said quietly. “Snape’s already got past Fluffy.” 

Seeing the door open seemed to impress upon the four of them exactly what they were facing. Under the cloak, Harry turned to the other three. 

“If you want to go back, I won’t blame you. You can take the cloak, I won’t need it now.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Hannah said.

“Don’t be stupid,” Ron said. 

“We’re coming,” Hermione said. Harry sighed and then pushed the door open, meeting a low, growling sound as they stepped into the room. The dog’s noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn’t see them. 

“What’s that at its feet?” Hermione whispered. 

“Looks like a harp,” Ron said. “Snape must’ve left it there.” 

Hannah snorted.

“What’s funny?” Ron asked. 

“Nothing. Just, imagining Snape playing the harp.” she said with a giggle that Ron shared before Harry cut them off.

“We don’t have time for this.” he mumbled and Hannah coughed before straightening and looking at the three-headed dog.

“Right… so… music.” she said.

“Did anyone bring anything to play?” Ron asked.

“Do you see us carrying anything?” Hannah retorted.

“We’ll have to sing.” Hermione said matter-of-factly. 

“Like a lullaby?” Harry asked. 

“I don’t think it matters, as long as it’s music.” Ron said with a grimace, not looking forward to showing off his singing skills. Hannah however, did not care, and she cleared her throat before singing the first song that popped into her head. 

_‘Sing me to sleep_

_Sing me to sleep_

_I'm tired and I_

_I want to go to bed’_

“Oh, don’t ruin that song for me.” Ron whined but Hannah snapped her fingers at him, encouraging him to sing along. With all four voices combined, after a few seconds, Fluffy’s eyes started to droop and his head swayed slightly. 

_‘Sing me to sleep_

_And then leave me alone_

_Don't try to wake me in the morning_

_'Cause I will be gone’_

The dog’s growls ceased completely and it tottered on its paws for a second before falling to its knees, slumping on the ground, fast asleep. They kept singing as they walked over to the trapdoor, Ron and Hermione stopping to work out how to get it open while Harry and Hannah kept on. It swung open and they stepped back, revealing a pitch-black hole with no ladder or rope. A straight drop. 

“Want to go first, Moony?” Ron asked.

“No, I don’t!” 

Hannah frantically pointed to herself as Harry did the same. They grinned at each other before pointing at Ron and Hermione to start singing instead of them. They got the message and mumbled along to the tune as Hannah turned to Harry.

“I think the rule is called ‘ladies first’?” she said with a grin.

“Are you sure? You don’t know what’s down there.” Harry said.

“That’s what makes it fun.” Hannah replied with a forced smile, obviously talking herself into it just as much as him. She walked over to the hole and lowered herself down in it, using her arms to keep herself propped up in midair while she looked around at her friends.

“I’ll let you know if I’m okay once I hit bottom. If I’m not, go get help. Send Ziggy to Dumbledore but don’t follow, okay?” 

Ron and Hermione were still singing so they simply nodded but Harry remained silent.

 _“Okay?”_ Hannah repeated. 

“Okay, fine.” Harry said and Hannah nodded before taking a deep breath and letting go. Almost as soon as she disappeared, Harry reacted on instinct and threw himself down the hole too. 

FLUMP.

Hannah hit the bottom first, a second later followed by Harry, who landed right on top of her. 

“You prat!” Hannah exclaimed as she pushed him off. “You said you’d wait!” 

“I panicked.” 

“No shit.” 

They looked around for a second, noting the soft substance they’d landed on before calling the all-clear to Hermione and Ron. Ron came right away.

“What’s this stuff?” were his first words. 

“Dunno.” Harry and Hannah said in unison. 

“Come on, Moony! It’s safe!” Hannah called and they heard Hermione’s voice stop singing, followed by a loud bark, but she’d already jumped. She landed on Harry’s other side with a thump.

“We must be miles underneath the school.” she said. 

“Lucky this plant thing’s here, really.” Ron said. 

_“Lucky!”_ Hermione shrieked. “Look at you three!” 

She leaped up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles. As for Harry, Ron, and Hannah, their legs had been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing. Hermione managed to free herself before the plant got a good grip on her but the other three were forced to struggle with the plant, as it wound around them tighter and tighter. 

“Snare! Devil’s Snare!” Hannah yelled out as she fought against the plant and Harry and Ron looked over, concerned she’d gone insane. 

“She’s right, you two! The plant is called Devil’s Snare!” Hermione yelled from the wall.

“Oh, I’m so glad we know what it’s called, that’s a great help.” Ron snarled as he leaned back, trying to get the plant to back away from his neck. 

“Shut up, I’m trying to remember how to kill it!” Hermione yelled. 

“Well, hurry up, I can’t breathe!” Harry gasped as he wrestled with the tendrils crossing his chest. 

“Devil’s Snare.... Devils’ Snare… what did Professor Sprout say? It likes the dark and the damp-” Hermione mumbled. 

Hannah was yelling something but no one could hear her, the plant had wrapped itself around her neck and mouth, preventing her from speaking when she obviously had the answer. Her head went under fully a second later and she disappeared beneath the plant, nothing but her hand sticking out.

“HANNAH!” Ron and Harry yelled, panicking worse than ever as they battled the plant themselves.

“We need to light a fire!” Hermione yelled, obviously distressed over her friend’s sudden disappearance. 

“So light one!” Harry choked, his head dangerously close to going under as well. 

“Yes… of course… but there’s no wood!” Hermione cried, wringing her hands. 

“HAVE YOU GONE MAD?” Ron bellowed. “ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?”

“Oh, right!” Hermione said and she whipped out her wand. She waved it and a jet of the same blue flame she’d used on Snape flew out and pushed the plant back. It slithered snakelike back into the wall away from the three friends that had been trapped in it. Hannah gasped as the plant pulled away from her face and she stood, throwing it off and regaining her breath. 

“Fucking… hate… herbology.” Hannah panted as she took the hand Ron had extended and pulled herself completely away from the plant. 

“Lucky you two pay attention during it, though.” Harry said as he joined them by the wall, wiping the sweat off his face.

“Yeah, and lucky Harry and I don’t lose our heads in a crisis… ‘there’s no wood’. _Honestly_.” Ron scoffed.

“Yeah I actually had the pleasure of being able to hear you lot through the plant,” Hannah said with a smile as they walked down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward. “And you are never living that down, Moony. ‘There’s no wood’. Oh, you made my week.”

Harry and Ron snickered and Hermione rolled her eyes as they walked down the passageway, suddenly becoming silent at the atmosphere of the place. It sloped downward and they walked for a few minutes, Hermione commenting again on how far down they must be before Ron stopped.

“Can you hear something?” he whispered and the other three stopped to listen to the small clicking sounds coming from the room up ahead. 

“Do you think it’s a ghost?”

“What ghost have you heard that makes that noise?”

“I dunno, an old one?” 

“It sounds like wings, not a ghost.”

“There’s a light ahead… I can see something moving.” 

They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a beautiful chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering, and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door. 

“Do you think they’ll attack us if we cross the room?” Ron asked. 

“Probably.” Harry said with a grimace. 

“That’s what I’d do.” Hannah said helpfully. 

“Well, they don’t look very vicious,” Harry said as he looked up at the birds. “but I suppose if they all swooped down at once… I guess there’s no other choice, though. I’ll run.”

And without waiting to consult his friends, he took a deep breath and covered his face with his arms before sprinting across the room. He expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at him at any second, but nothing happened. He made it to the wooden door untouched and lowered his arms to look around at his friends, feeling rather foolish. The other three walked calmly across the floor with smirks on their faces, looking up at the birds above them with interest. They stopped at the door as well as Harry tugged at the handle, with no luck. Hermione tried her Alohomora charm as Ron and Hannah pulled but they too were unsuccessful. Hannah would not accept this, and stepped back a few paces before running at the door with her shoulder, just getting herself thrown down on the floor as the door stayed shut.

“Honestly, Padfoot, when has that ever worked?” Hermione said with a roll of her eyes as Hannah took Harry’s extended hand and straightened on her feet, ignoring her friend's laughter. 

“Thought I might give it a try…” Hannah grumbled. 

“Well, now what?” Ron asked as he looked around the room.

“These birds… they can’t just be for decoration.” Hermione said and the other three looked up at them again, watching the birds soar over their heads. 

“They’re so shiny.” Hannah said helpfully and Harry’s mouth fell open and he jumped up and down.

“They’re not birds!” he said excitedly. “They’re _keys_. Winged keys… look carefully. So that must mean-” 

“Look!” Hannah exclaimed as she pointed to a couple of broomsticks lined up against the wall. Harry could hardly contain himself at the simplicity of the task now. 

“YES! We’ve just got to catch the key to the door!” He yelled.

“But there are hundreds of them.” Hermione pointed out and Harry made an odd movement with his hand, like he was swatting away a pesky fly. Thankfully, Ron thought to examine the lock on the handle. 

“We’re looking for a big, old-fashioned one. Probably silver like the handle.” 

They each grabbed a broomstick and shot up into the air, Harry and Hannah in the lead. They all grabbed and snatched at the little keys, but they were fast and always darted out of reach before they could get their hands around them. 

“I _suck_ at this!” Hannah growled after another bad attempt on one of the keys. “Why couldn’t these be bludgers?” 

“You want all these keys to be _bludgers_?” Ron asked with a shocked look.

“Yes! That would be much easier!”

“That one!” Harry called suddenly, as he was not the youngest seeker in a century and had been far more useful than any of the others during their search. The other three looked around to see him pointing at a small silver key with a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed in a keyhole. “That big one… there... no, there… with the bright blue wings… the feathers are all crumpled on one side.” 

Ron went speeding in the direction Harry was pointing at and crashed into the ceiling, nearly falling off his broom. 

“We’ve got to close in on it!” Harry yelled, not taking his eyes off the key as Hannah and Hermione snickered. “Ron, you come at it from above, Hermione, stay below and stop it from going down, Hannah, you go to the side with me and help me pin it. Right, NOW!” 

Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upward, and Hannah and Harry dove in towards the key, almost crashing into each other as the key rocketed to the side and sped towards the wall. They shot at it and Harry leaned forward at the same time Hannah did. With a nasty crunch, the key was pinned between their hands on the wall and Hannah grabbed it out from under Harry’s hand as Ron and Hermione cheered below them. 

“That wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought.” Hannah said with a smile.

“That’s because I was showing you where to go.” Harry smirked.

“Oh, shove off.” 

They landed and ran to the door, Hannah unceremoniously shoving the key in the lock and turning it. The door sprung open immediately and the four smiles that had appeared on the friends faces disappeared quickly as they saw what met them in the next chamber. It was pitch black, but as soon as they stepped into the room it flooded with light, almost blinding them all as they shielded their eyes from the brightness. 

They were standing on the edge of a giant chessboard behind the black chessmen, which were all twice their size and looked to be carved out of black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. They all shivered slightly… the towing white chessmen had no faces. 

“Now what do we do?” Harry whispered. 

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Ron said as he looked at Hannah to the right of him, who nodded her head.

“We play our way across.” they said in unison and Hannah pointed to another door behind the white pieces.

“How?” Hermione asked nervously. 

“I think,” Ron said. “We’re going to have to be the chessmen.” 

Hannah confirmed this theory by walking up to one of the black knights and putting her hand on its side. Immediately the stone sprang to life, the horse pawing the ground and the faceless black knight turning to look at the four first years that had gathered around him.

“Do we… er… have to join you to get across?” Ron asked nervously and the knight nodded. Hannah and Ron turned to the other two with serious faces. 

“This needs thinking about…” Ron said with a frown.

“We’ll definitely have to take the places of four chess pieces.” Hannah added and Ron nodded before looking up at the other two. 

“Now… don’t be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess-”

“We’re not offended,” Harry said quickly. “Just tell us what to do.” 

“Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go next to him instead of that castle.” Ron ordered and the bishop and castle seemed to have been listening as well, because they jumped up and walked off the board, leaving two empty spaces for Harry and Hermione to fill. 

“What about you two?” Hermione asked.

“I’m going to be a knight.” Ron said, puffing out his chest bravely. Hannah did her best to ignore this.

“I’ll be queen.” she said with a smirk.

“Are you sure? You’ll be used the most and if this is like wizard’s chess-” 

“I know. I wanna be queen.” Hannah said and at her words the knight and queen jumped up, running off the board like the castle and bishop had done. They all took their places and waited for white to move first. A white pawn moved forward two spaces and the game began. Ron and Hannah worked as a team instead of their usual opponency, directing the different pieces to take a pawn or two safely. They did not seem to want to use the pieces with their friends in them, which in all honesty was probably a bad move. They lost their first knight in a matter of minutes and fear started to set in as it was broken down and dragged off the board. Harry could feel his knees shaking as he watched his friends try to move past the lost piece. What if they lost? 

“Had to let that happen,” Ron said shakily after another one of their pawns was destroyed. “Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on.” 

Hannah moved the most around the board, volunteering herself when Hermione or Harry could’ve gone. This put her at a bigger risk, she and Ron knew, but it seemed to be the only option when they looked at their scared friends. Plus Harry and Hermione had no idea what was going on, which left Hannah and Ron to silently communicate when their pieces were in danger without the other two knowing. They darted around the board, taking just as many white pieces as they had lost black ones. 

“We’re nearly there…” Hannah muttered under her breath. 

“I know, I know… let me think…” Ron said and realization hit them both at the same time. Harry’s bishop was standing directly in front of the white queen, and if he was taken, that would leave Hannah open to checkmate the king. Neither of them said a word, just stared at each other pale-faced as they tried to work out another option. Finally, Ron saw the opposite pattern, his knight being taken so Harry could checkmate the king, leaving Hannah and Hermione out completely. 

“Yes…” he said softly and Hannah turned to look at her friend with wide eyes as she saw what he was about to do. Ron looked back at her, face stony and serious, and a mutual understanding passed through them. This was Harry’s fight. Like what Harry had told them all before coming down the trapdoor; Voldemort had killed his parents. He had to be the one to move on, no matter the cost. 

Hannah opened her mouth to stop him but Ron shook his head furiously at her, trying to convey what she already knew with his eyes. Hannah’s lip trembled but she shut her mouth and looked up at the queen while Ron spoke. 

“I’ve got to be taken.” 

“NO!” Harry and Hermione shouted. 

“That’s chess!” Ron snapped. “You’ve got to make sacrifices! I take one step forward and she’ll take me… that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!”

“But-”

“Hannah, back me up here!” Ron shouted and Hannah turned to look at her friends, tears falling slowly down her cheeks.

“He’s right, you guys. It’s the only way.” Hannah lied in a thick voice. She and Ron both knew there was no possible way Harry would let Ron be taken if he knew he was available instead. Fortunately, Harry was too panicked to catch on and he looked back and forth between his friends frantically. 

“You can’t-”

“Do you want to stop Snape or not?”

“Ron-”

“He could have the stone right now! And there’ll be no stopping him afterward. We have to move.” Hannah said as she wiped the tears off her face and nodded at Ron. The other two sniffled but remained silent, as they saw there was no alternative. 

“Ready?” Ron called, his face pale but determined. “Here I go… don’t hang around once you’ve won.” 

He stepped forward and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor with a sickening crunch. Hermione screamed but stayed on her square and Hannah’s eyes widened as she watched her friend lie motionless on the floor. It looked as though he’d been knocked out. 

“Go, Harry.” Hannah called as she tore her eyes away from Ron and looked over at her shaking friend, who had tears pouring down his face. It was the first time she’d seen him cry. 

Trembling, Harry moved three squares to the left. The white king took his crown off and threw it at Harry’s feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear but the three friends ran over to Ron, turning him over so they could see his pale unconscious face, and try not to cry at the sight of the large amount blood covering the side of his head and face. Hannah put her finger on his wrist and her heart lifted when she felt the slow steady rhythm of his own heart beating.

“That’s a pulse.” she said in a soft voice and Harry and Hermione both sighed in relief. Harry looked back at the door.

“We should go.” he said with a grimace at the thought of leaving Ron alone on the ground. 

“We can’t leave him!” Hannah yelled as she looked back at her friends, who were both standing to walk to the door.

“Hannah, we have to.” Hermione choked. “There’s no other option.” 

The words struck a chord in Hannah’s head, remembering how there had been another option with Ron and she’d ignored it and let him do this to himself. Her heart swelled with guilt and tears poured down her face.

“I’m not leaving him.” she said in a thick voice. 

“Fine, fine. Someone should stay with him anyway.” Harry said frantically, obviously worked up about what he was planning on facing. “Use the broomsticks and go get him help. Send Hedwig to Dumbledore. Hermione and I will go.” 

Hannah nodded but said nothing as Harry grabbed Hermione by the hand and pulled her towards the door. Hannah heard it open and shut as she moved Ron’s hair out of the way to see the large gash on his forehead. She pulled out her wand and used the closing spell she’d seen Andy use on her father after a particularly bad moon. The fiery red curls on Ron’s head were very similar to Remus’ and Hannah was lulled into a false sense of comfort as she cleaned him up and hummed under her breath, hardly aware of what she was saying. 

_‘Don't feel bad for me_

_I want you to know_

_Deep in the cell of my heart_

_I will feel so glad to go’_

Tears poured down her face as she siphoned off the blood and stuck her wand back in her pocket. Ron’s head rested on her lap as she brushed his curls out with her fingers, trying to wake him by moving him around slightly every second or so. 

_‘Sing me to sleep_

_Sing me to sleep_

_I don't want to wake up_

_On my own anymore’_

With a twitch, Ron’s eyes opened slightly and he looked up at Hannah pouring over him. She smiled when she saw his light brown eyes and took her fingers and pushed them open further to see his pupils. She moved her finger along his vision and Ron did not stop her, as he was too dazed to do anything else but lay back and listen to the odd song Hannah was singing that had the negative effect of what she wanted him to do. 

_‘Sing to me_

_Sing to me_

_I don't want to wake up_

_On my own anymore’_

He had a concussion, that was for sure. Hannah pulled him up onto his feet and he stumbled, leaning on her heavily for support as they limped together to the opposite side of the room. Hannah had no clue how she was going to get Ron on a broom but had very little time to think about it, as right when they met the door on the opposite side of the chessboard, the door Harry and Hermione had left in opened and a familiar face looked at them.

“He’s going alone.” Hermione said with a sniffle. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Asleep by The Smiths.


	14. Heroes - Year One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the Philosopher's stone.  
> 

“He’s _what?_ ” 

“He’s going alone,” Hermione repeated as she crossed the room and got on Ron’s other side, helping his weight shift over to her so Hannah wasn’t completely under him. 

“He can’t,” Hannah choked, her eyes welling up with tears again. “Hermione… if that’s Voldemort in there-”

“I know! Don’t you think I know that? But we got to Snape’s task and there was a potion to let him in that was only enough for one person! He made me come back, you know how he is, he got all heroic. I would’ve stayed but-” 

“I know, I’m sorry,” Hannah said before looking back at the doors. “Fuck… I hope he’s okay.”

“He’s going to be fine.” Hermione sniffled, sounding a bit like she was convincing herself. She grabbed Hannah’s hand over Ron and made eye contact, squeezing it as she saw the tears falling.

“He’s going to be okay. We have to believe he’s going to be okay, otherwise, we’ll never get out of here.” Hermione said and Hannah nodded and looked away from her friend, pulling her hand back up to support Ron again. 

“Of course he’ll be fine. He’s Harry.” Hannah said determinedly as she began to walk towards the door where all the keys still flew, Hermione right by her side, helping her with Ron.

“Exactly.”

The two girls did not speak on the walk to the brooms, choosing to ignore the tears pouring down their faces as they helped a grunting Ron onto a broom behind Hannah.

“Tighten your arms around her… Ron.... no… like this.” Hermione instructed as she tried to get Ron’s arms secured around Hannah. The head injury was bad and Ron hardly seemed aware of who he was or what he was doing as his head lolled around on his shoulders. Hannah eventually opted to fly with no hands, holding Ron’s arms tightly around her as she steered with her legs. Hermione flew behind them and they soared down the stone passageway on the rickety old brooms. They met the Devil’s Snare a minute later and made sure to hover a few feet above it, pulling out of the way as it tried to curl up on their ankles. 

“Fluffy will be awake,” Hermione said stiffly.

“I guess we’ll have to sing again,” Hannah said and the two girls grimaced, as they were no longer in a very musical mood. They could hear the big dog’s growls and sniffles as he shuffled around above them. Hannah started off the same song as before, hoping her voice would carry through the open trapdoor. Hermione sang as well and they soon heard the sounds of Fluffy falling to the ground and snoring peacefully. Hannah could hear Ron incoherently mumbling the words to the song into her back as she flew up with Hermione, still humming the song slightly as they raced through the trapdoor and touched down on the stone floor. Hannah grabbed the cloak from where they’d left it and bunched it up, stuffing it down her shirt as Ron leaned on Hermione. She secured it and then she was back under the redhead, walking as fast as they could go out of the room while still humming the song to be safe. 

The door shut behind them and the two girls stopped singing, choosing to ignore Ron’s mumbled version of the song. They hobbled down the hallway, discussing if they should go to the owlery or the hospital wing first. Their choice became clear, however, when they were passing through the entrance hall and ran directly into Dumbledore.

“Sir!” Hannah spluttered, hardly believing their luck. Dumbledore looked down at the three first years and seemed to take in their predicament immediately. His eyes gleamed dangerously as his expression remained stony and serious.

“Harry’s gone after him, hasn’t he?” He asked in a hard voice. The two girls just nodded, not really knowing exactly how Dumbledore knew but not really caring as they watched him take off towards the third-floor corridor. Both girls seemed significantly happier as they shuffled down toward the hospital wing with Ron shouldered between them. Harry was surely safe if Dumbledore was there. 

They made it to the hospital wing and Hannah reached an arm out to push on the door. It was early in the morning; they didn’t think Madame Pomfrey would be up but to their surprise she was already bustling around, straightening bedsheets and setting out medication. She turned around with a surprised look on her face when she saw the three first years.

“Umm… can we have some help?” Hannah asked and Madame Pomfrey walked over at once to help the girls get their friend onto a bed. She questioned them about what happened but neither said anything, just kept pointing out they thought he had a concussion. Pomfrey huffed and tended to Ron, shaking him to stay awake as she fed him a few steaming potions. He drank and then grunted as she set him back on his pillow to let him get some rest. She turned to look at the two girls sitting on the bed next to him; one with tears falling and the other with a blank expression as she stared at the blood covering her hands. She sighed and walked out of the room to go get their head of house. Neither girl asked what she was doing as she left, just stared blankly at their unconscious friend as they replayed the events of that night. 

“Explain yourselves,” a familiar voice said a few minutes later and they both jumped to look up at Minerva. The girls exchanged their usual look before launching headfirst into the story, finishing each other’s sentences and stumbling over words as they tried to explain. If Minerva hadn’t been so used to having stories told to her like that, she would’ve been totally lost. 

“And Harry’s still down there. We ran into Dumbledore on the way here-”

“He was going to help so we just took Ron up here since he’s hurt,” Hermione finished for the pair. Minerva looked over the two girls with an impossible expression to read before sighing. 

“I wish you would’ve come to me about your suspicions before acting on them,” she said to Hannah and Hermione looked slightly awkward sitting by her friend’s side.

“But we did and you didn’t believe us!” Hannah protested. “Dad didn’t when I told him about the quidditch match and you got mad at Harry and me when we started to try and tell you-”

“That is because your father and I know better than to think Professor Snape capable of such things,” Minerva said sternly. “And let me rephrase that then… I wish you would’ve listened when I told you to stay out of it. You and your friends broke about fifty school rules in your attempt to save the stone when if you had told me the whole story, you would be fast asleep in your beds right now.” 

Hermione blushed and studied her feet while Hannah’s face slowly turned redder and redder and her lip curled. They’d just risked their necks to save something that wasn’t protected well enough, and Minerva was talking to them like they’d just gotten caught out of bed again. It was ridiculous! If she’d just listen…

“And you’ll be interested to know that when Poppy came to get me, I was sitting in the staff room with Professor Snape and he was not making any attempt to steal the stone,” Minerva said and Hannah and Hermione shared a confused look. Minerva sighed again at the two girls who still could not seem to comprehend their teacher’s innocence. 

“I’m afraid I’ll be taking points for this-”

Minerva’s punishment was interrupted by the double doors to the hospital wing flying open. Dumbledore strode into the room, holding his wand up to levitate an unconscious Harry above his head. Pomfrey gave a gasp while Minerva’s mouth fell open and Dumbledore moved Harry into a bed and set him down, letting Pomfrey tend to him while he looked around at the other people in the room. His beard twitched at the looks on their faces. 

“Albus… what-” Minerva started. 

“I’m afraid we are once again in need of a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Minerva,” Dumbledore said, bewildering everyone in the room as usual. 

Hannah and Hermione were hardly paying attention though, as they’d rushed over to Harry’s bed and were attempting to see him over Pomfrey’s shoulder. Hermione clamped a hand over her mouth and Hannah’s protests to the nurse got caught in her throat at the sight of their friend. Harry looked terrible; his hair was matted to the side of his head with blood and he had several long scratches on the sides of his face and bruising around his neck and wrists that Pomfrey was tending to. He looked very pale and skinny, laying out on the bed with his limbs bent out at odd angles. Harry had fallen asleep in front of the two girls occasionally during their year together, out in the clearing by the forest or in his bed after a long quidditch practice when Hannah and Ron refused to stop talking and go to sleep. They knew what Harry should look like while sleeping, and that was why the sight of his sleeping now was so concerning. Harry had always slept sprawled out on his back, mouth wide open and limbs thrown carelessly about. Now he slept almost curled in on himself, clutching his chest so tightly Pomfrey had to work to remove his arms from himself. Hermione sniffled as Pomfrey pushed them away again, and she felt a hand on her shoulder. Dumbledore smiled down at the two girls. 

“He will be perfectly fine, I’m sure of it,” Dumbledore reassured them and while they both still looked nervous for their friend, the comment helped significantly. 

Dumbledore smiled again before asking everyone to sit down on the beds surrounding them, and they all obliged awkwardly. He politely asked Hannah and Hermione to recall bit by bit the events of that night and what led up to their decision. The girls obeyed, telling the story in a slightly calmer tone than they’d used with Minerva. Dumbledore nodded encouragingly as the girls told their version of the story and silenced Minerva with a hand when she tried to protest about the Snape accusations. They had just gotten to the last part of their story and were attempting to convince Dumbledore that Snape was behind it all when he raised a thin hand again to silence them. 

“I can assure you Professor Snape is not the cause of this,” Dumbledore said calmly and both girls deflated slightly. 

“But who else could it be?” Hannah asked in an exasperated tone. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at her.

“Seeing as you are now speaking to the person that went down to retrieve Harry and came back to tell you that it was _not_ Professor Snape, shouldn’t you be asking me who it _was_?” 

Hannah turned pink and Hermione coughed nervously.

“Well… then… who was it?” Hermione asked and Dumbeldore smiled at her.

“Professor Quirrell,” he said simply. 

_“Quirrell?”_ Minerva, Hermione, and Hannah said in unison. Dumbledore smiled again. 

“Yes, Quirrell. I’ll admit I had my suspicions of what his motives were, so I asked Professor Snape to tail him and find out as much as he could. The reports were not reassuring, so I added extra protection to the stone in case Quirrell acted on his master’s orders and attempted to steal it,” Dumbeldore said while the other three listened in shock.

“Quirrell was working for Voldemort?” Hannah asked and Dumbledore looked over at her with a look of surprise on his face at the use of the name. He regained his composure and nodded. 

“Quirrell was working for Voldemort in more ways than one. According to the sight I stumbled upon, Quirrell was allowing Voldemort to take refuge in his body.” 

At this Minerva made a small choking sound and lifted her hand up to cover her mouth. Dumbledore kept going and Hannah and Hermione shared a look, promising each other to ask Harry exactly what that meant as Dumbledore did not seem to want to go into any more detail. 

“Quirrell was attempting to steal the stone to bring Voldemort back to power. I arrived just in time to remove Quirrell from our Harry and bring him back up here for treatment. There will be no need to visit the third-floor corridor, Poppy,” Dumbledore said as an afterthought and looked over his shoulder at the nurse, who was still tending to Harry but very obviously listening to every word Dumbledore said. She nodded at the recognition and went back to rubbing cream on the bruises around Harry’s wrist. 

“But where’s Quirrell?” Hannah interrupted again and Dumbledore turned to look at her.

“Quirrell is dead,” he said simply and everyone gasped. “And there’s no sense in going back down to retrieve the body, there is not much left.”

A ringing filled Hannah’s ears at the words and she looked over to the small boy lying broken on the hospital bed and wondered how he could be capable of destroying their old professor like that. 

“...we had no idea that he would be acting tonight, of course.” Dumbledore was saying mainly to Minerva. “If these children had not intervened, Quirrell really might have gotten his hands on the stone. We owe them, Minerva.” 

Hermione blushed slightly at the praise but Hannah was not listening. 

“How’d he do it?” she asked without taking her eyes off Harry. Dumbledore looked back at the boy and then turned again to place his eyes on Hannah.

“That is between Harry and me,” Dumbledore said and Hannah frowned at him. “I will need to speak to him when he is well enough and if he chooses to share it with you then that is on him, but it is not my place to tell you.” 

Hannah still looked confused but she nodded and Dumbledore smiled at the gesture. He straightened and patted his knees casually before standing all the way up and smiling down at them.

“I have some more business to attend to if you don’t mind,” he said and the two first year girls just shook their heads at him, not knowing what else to do. Dumbledore smiled. “Minerva, if you could come with me I’ll be needing your assistance.” 

Minerva straightened and stood as well, still looking rather pale but nodding at Dumbledore and making an attempt to wipe the shock off her face. She looked around at Hannah and Hermione before walking out of the door behind Dumbledore. 

“You two go to my office and wait for me there,” Minerva ordered.

“But we need to stay with-”

“Do as I say.” 

The two girls sighed but did not argue as Minerva walked out of the room. They stood there for a few more moments before finally leaving, prompted by a ‘you heard her’ from Pomfrey, and walked out to go sit in her office. They remained silent on the walk and during the wait for Minerva, finding neither of them had much to say. Hannah still had Ron’s blood covering her hands. 

They waited for at least thirty minutes, kicking their feet under their chairs and trying not to let exhaustion take them as they sat up. Shortly after Hermione’s head hit the back of her chair with a thump as she fought against her sleepiness, Minerva opened the door and walked around to sit behind her desk. Both girls straightened at the sight of her and leaned forward excitedly, certain they were about to get some new information. They were disappointed. 

“You two have been through an ordeal,” Minerva said in an uncharacteristically soft voice. “I needed to ask if you were all right.”

Both girls were silent and Minerva sighed.

“The obstacles you two and your friends faced were meant to stop powerful dark wizards, not four first years. I know you two faced more than you could’ve imagined and I need to know if you’re okay,” Minerva said and the two girls shifted in their seats.

“I mean, yeah, it was scary,” Hannah said awkwardly. 

“I thought Ron was dead,” Hermione said in a quiet voice and the other two turned to look at her. “When the white queen hit him like that… I didn’t think he had a chance.”

Minerva opened her mouth to console her but was interrupted by Hannah, who had been prompted by Hermione’s confession to open up. 

“When the Devil’s Snare went over my head I thought I was going to die. I couldn’t see or breathe, I could just hear you guys freaking out and I thought I was going to die without helping you beat Voldemort. It was so scary,” Hannah said in the same quiet voice and Hermione put her hand over hers.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see Harry again, I thought he was going to die alone and I had to walk away,” Hermione said and Hannah sniffled. She was on the verge of confessing how she’d known Harry had been open to an attack but Ron had taken it when Minerva interrupted her train of thought.

“It’s good to talk about these things and get them out. You’ve just experienced something very traumatic, you shouldn’t bottle it up,” Minerva said and Hannah and Hermione just nodded. Minerva sighed as she looked over the two girls. 

“Hannah, would you like me to call your father?” she asked and Hannah’s face lit up at the question.

“Yes, please,” Hannah said excitedly and even Hermione looked relieved, as Remus had a calming presence she felt they all needed. Minerva nodded and got up to walk around to her fireplace.

“I’d ask you if you wanted your parents here, but seeing as they're muggles it would take quite a while,” Minerva said to Hermione who just nodded and said she understood. Minerva smiled at the girl who had turned into one of her favorite students over the year before turning back to the fireplace and throwing a bit of floo powder in it. She stuck just her head in and called for Remus, who ran into his living room from the kitchen still dressed in his pajamas. He asked what was wrong but she just told him Hannah would explain and moved out of the way so he could enter her office from the fireplace.

When he stepped out and straightened Hannah immediately gave a cry of relief and threw herself at him. It took Remus a second to realize she was sobbing into his shirt. 

“What… hey… puppy, what’s wrong?” he said as he tried to pull her off him but she didn’t answer, just held onto his shirt like she’d done when she was smaller and let the tears pour down her face. Hannah honestly hadn’t expected to react like that but seeing Remus had given her such a rush of things being okay that she couldn’t control her emotions. 

Remus looked up at Minerva with the same question on his face and she sighed before explaining. As the story went on, Hannah’s tears stopped and she tried to pull back from her father but he was holding her very tightly, an expression of worry and sadness etched on his scarred face. When Minerva finished he sighed and let go, sitting down in the chair beside Hermione and rubbing his eyes. He looked up after a few seconds and asked his daughter if she was okay, then did the same for Hermione. Both girls said yes but he could see on their faces that they were lying. 

They stayed in Minerva’s office for a while, eating lunch that had been summoned from the kitchen and talking things over. Remus was disappointed in himself for not realizing exactly how far Hannah’s opinion of Snape would go but he chose not to say anything out loud, just brush his daughter’s hair out of her face as she ate and try to comfort her and Hermione anyway he could. They stayed until Hermione accidentally started snoring when she sat her head down on her hand and Remus and Minerva made the girls go back up to their dorm to get some rest. Remus said goodbye to the two girls, promising Hannah he’d see her as soon as she got off the train. The door shut behind Hermione and Remus waited until he heard their footsteps pass down the hallway before he turned to Minerva and pushed his face into his hands, groaning loudly. 

“I know, I know,” Minerva said in an amused voice. 

“They just… went! Told no one! Just went! What was going through their heads? They didn’t think about telling anyone that they knew about the stone or exactly what they thought about Snape I… oh my fucking god. They could’ve died!” 

“Yes, I’m aware. We’ll have to keep an even closer eye on them,” Minerva said with a sigh. “I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to do that without just tailing them around the school every second of the day but… I’ll figure something out.” 

“It’s not even that so much, it’s just what could’ve happened. If they’d put even an ounce of thought-”

“They apparently put quite a bit of thought into it and obviously thought they were doing the right thing,” Minerva said and Remus groaned again. 

“That’s even worse.”

Minerva laughed. 

“You know, you and your little gang never had anything quite this bad. I’d say it’s karma but as far as I know you four never beat an obstacle course meant for dark wizards and a troll in one year,” she said with a smile that Remus returned. 

“Hopefully this will be a one year thing,” he said in a voice that said quite clearly that he did not even believe his own words.

“One can dream,” Minerva said with a sigh. 

Back up in the girl's Gryffindor dormitory, Hannah and Hermione lay side by side, fast asleep. Hermione had the map still tucked safely in her back pocket and Hannah had not removed the cloak from her robes. Both girls were fully dressed down to their shoes and completely unconscious, dreaming snatches of faceless white chessmen and three-headed dogs. 

**

The next day, Hannah and Hermione woke and showered, excusing themselves from class with permission from Minerva. They went down to the hospital wing and convinced Madam Pomfrey that they were just there for Ron and would not be bothering Harry, and she let them in a few moments later with narrowed eyes, informing them that she’d be watching. 

Ron was sitting up on his pillow when they came in and the two girls rushed to his bed, Hannah pulling him in for a bone-crushing hug.

“Oof… gonna break something-” Ron muttered into Hannah’s shirt and she pulled back to look at him with tears in her eyes.

“Ron… I-” 

“It’s okay, seriously,” Ron said, understanding Hannah’s emotions and trying to console her the only way he knew how; patting her hand awkwardly. Hermione watched the interaction with a frown and Hannah sniffled before turning back to her friend and making her sit down on the bed next to her. Ron was very interested in what had happened after he’d been knocked out so the girls told him everything, all the way up to the conversation with Remus and Minerva in her office. Ron was still shocked by the time they finished talking.

 _“Quirrell?”_ he asked for the third time. 

“Yup,” Hannah said as she leaned back and laid her head in Hermione’s lap over Ron’s feet. 

“We couldn’t believe it either,” Hermione added. “But Dumbledore said it was him and apparently Harry totally destroyed him.” 

The three friends looked over at Harry’s bed, where he laid spread out comfortably, white bandages poking out around from his wrists. He looked small and incapable of ‘destroying’ someone and they all raised an eyebrow at him.

“How do you think he did it?” Ron asked in almost a whisper.

“Dunno,” Hannah answered. “Dumbledore said he’d tell Harry after he woke up and then if Harry wanted he could tell us.”

“Chuck a pillow at him, then. I wanna know,” Ron said.

“Ron! He needs his rest!” Hermione said in a shocked voice and Ron rolled his eyes.

“I’m joking, ‘Mione, lord,” 

His response sparked the usual bickering between him and Hermione and they talked back and forth for a while before Hannah told them to shut up. Ron sighed but stopped, looking around at his friends. 

“Your dad mad at you then?” he asked and Hannah grinned slightly.

“Nah, I was crying too much for him to be mad,” she said and Hermione snorted.

“You were crying too much for him to tell you he was mad. He was mad,” she said with a grin and Hannah laughed. 

“True. The last time I saw him hold back a yell like that was the time I ran over his foot with Stardust and broke three of his toes,” Hannah said with a smirk.

The other two snorted but shortly went back to staring at the unconscious Harry next to them. Hannah cleared her throat after a few seconds. 

“When do you get out of here, Wormtail?” she asked and Ron looked up and smiled.

“I think tonight. I’ve told her nothing’s wrong with me now but she’s still fussy.” 

Hannah and Hermione nodded at the information and left a few minutes later, prompted by Madame Pomfrey as she apparently thought they’d had enough time. The two girls locked themselves up in their dorm, away from the questions and looks from their classmates. Ron joined them at dinner that night, much to their relief, as he seemed to enjoy the questions and attention from all the other students. He told them all that Hannah and Hermione did not feel like repeating, and soon the story of what happened in the third-floor corridor was happily blown out of proportion. 

Harry woke two days later and Hannah, Ron, and Hermione all convinced Madame Pomfrey to let them into the hospital wing for a chat. She apparently thought Harry was still in very bad shape and she told them this, narrowing her eyes when all three first years promised her they’d be careful around him. 

Harry was propped up on his pillow when they rushed in, looking pale but smiling very widely at his three friends as they ran over to sit by his bed, ignoring the large pile of sweets and gifts at the foot of it. 

“Oh, Harry, we were so sure you were going to… everyone was so worried-” Hermione said as she reached out and patted Harry’s foot through the blanket. 

“We thought you’d be in a coma or something,” Hannah said as she leaned forward and brushed a bit of hair out of Harry’s face. 

“We were super worried Prongs,” Ron said as he patted Harry’s hand nervously and Harry looked around and grinned at all his friends, as he’d noticed they were hovering and being very motherly. 

“I’m fine you guys, really,” Harry said with a smirk and the other three backed off a bit but still remained closer than they normally would be. 

“So what _really_ happened?” Ron asked excitedly. 

“This one’s got the whole school talking about it,” Hannah said with a smirk as she shoved Ron who scowled at her.

“They already knew to ask me when I got out of the hospital wing! Who’s the one who told them something had happened in the first place?”

“Someone had to tell them why we had no Defense Against the Dark Arts professor!”

“Dumbledore was going to. Bit premature-”

“Will you two shut up?” Hermione snapped and Hannah and Ron quieted down. Hermione sighed before turning back to Harry. “You were going to tell us what actually happened?” 

Harry smiled slightly before launching into his story. He told them everything; Quirrel, the stone, the mirror, the cloak, and even Voldemort. Hannah, Ron, and Hermione were a very good audience, gasping in all the right places and knowing when their sarcastic comments weren’t needed. When Harry told them what had been under Quirrell’s turban, Hermione actually screamed. 

“That’s so gross,” Hannah said with a disgusted face. 

“The back of his head? For a year! That’s got to be the worst fucking way to spend a-” 

“Language!” Pomfrey called from her office and Ron blushed as he quieted down and let Harry get back to his story. 

“So the stone’s gone?” Ron said when Harry finally finished. “Flamel’s just going to die?” 

“That’s what I said, but Dumbledore thinks that… what was it? ‘To the organized mind, death is but the next greatest adventure’.” Harry said with a grin. 

“I always said he was off his rocker,” Ron said, looking quite impressed at how crazy his hero was. 

“So what happened to you three?” Harry asked and Hannah smiled before answering. 

“I brought Ron around while you were off with ‘Mione… she came back after a few minutes and told me about your totally uncharacteristic heroism-”

Harry rolled his eyes. 

“We took the brooms up and we were arguing whether we should go straight to the owlery or the hospital wing when we ran into Dumbledore.”

“He already knew, somehow,” Hermione began. “He just said, “Harry’s gone after him, hasn’t he?’ and hurtled off to the third floor.” 

“D’you think he meant to do it?” Ron said. “Sending you your father’s cloak and everything?” 

“Well,” Hermione said, looking shocked at Ron’s accusation. “If he did… I mean to say, that’s terrible… you could’ve been killed.” 

“No, it isn’t,” Harry said thoughtfully. “He’s a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea what we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don’t think it was an accident he let all of us find the mirror and learn how it worked. It’s almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could…” 

“And you do,” Hannah said and the other three turned to look at her. “You have every right to face him. I just hope he didn’t intend for you to face him this soon.”

“Yeah, Dumbledore’s off his rocker, all right,” Ron said proudly. “Listen, you’ve got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course. You missed the last quidditch match yesterday, we were steamrolled by Ravenclaw without you, but the food’ll be good.” 

Hannah was opening her mouth to inform Harry just how bad their loss had been, with the Ravenclaw seeker Cho Chang grabbing the snitch right out from under Cormac McClaggen’s nose, despite his previous insistence that he was the best seeker they’d be able to find, but at that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over. 

“You’ve had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT,” she said firmly and Hannah, Ron, and Hermione knew better than to argue as they stood and walked out, making Harry promise he’d be at the feast, ignoring Pomfrey’s insisting that he wouldn’t be.

The next day, the three friends sat at the Gryffindor table waiting for Harry. The hall was decked out in Slytherin’s colors of green and silver and the farthest table from Gryffindor was being even louder than usual in their celebration of winning the cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the high table and Hannah was staring it down like she could set it on fire if she scowled hard enough. Hermione was just about to say that maybe Madame Pomfrey had really been planning on keeping Harry when the entire hall hushed suddenly, only to burst into loud talking a second later. Hannah, Hermione, and Ron all turned to look and smile at their friend awkwardly making his way to them with an expression on his face that made it quite clear he’d very much like to disappear into the wall beside him. He sat down next to Ron a few moments later, grinning when he clapped him on his back and trying to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at him. Hannah turned around to flip off a few nosey Hufflepuffs before leaning back over the table and smiling at Harry. 

“What have you got there, Prongs?” Hannah asked in a sarcastic tone and Harry rolled his eyes as he pulled the photo album Hagrid had gotten him out of the side pocket of his robes. 

“I’m guessing you had something to do with this?” Harry said with a grin as he showed off the pictures of his mother and father that had been in his nightstand. Hannah smiled.

“It was Hagrid’s idea. He just asked me for the pictures,” she said and Harry didn’t say thanks but she could see it on his face as he tucked the album back into his pocket. 

Dumbledore arrived a few minutes later, walking up to the podium and spreading his arms out to his sides like he was going to hug everyone in the room. 

“Another year gone!” Dumbledore said cheerfully. “And I must trouble you with an old man’s wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully, your heads are all a little fuller than they were… you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts.” 

Hannah, Harry, and Ron all grinned and nodded at that as Hermione rolled her eyes. 

“Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: in fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, five hundred and twenty-two.” 

A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table, Harry could see Draco banging his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight. 

“Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin,” Dumbledore said. “However, recent events must be taken into account.” 

The room went very still and Slytherin’s smiles faded a little. 

“Ahem,” Dumbledore said. “I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes… first… to Mr. Ronald Weasley-”

Ron went bright purple as every face in the room turned to look at him. 

“...for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points.” 

Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling, the stars ahead seemed to quiver. Harry, Hermione, and Hannah all cheered and reached out to Ron whose face now very strongly resembled the deep scarlet on his tie. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, ‘my brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall’s giant chess set!’

Dumbledore silenced the room with a single hand and everyone turned back to look at him. 

“Second… to Miss Hermione Granger… for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points.” 

Hermione buried her face in her hands, Hannah could see that she’d burst into tears and laughed as she wrapped an arm around her friend to comfort her. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves… they were a hundred points up. 

“Third… to Miss Hannah Lupin…” 

Hannah went very pale as her head shot up from trying to pry Hermione’s hands off her face.

“There are many different types of Gryffindor courage… choosing to stay away from a fight to help a friend is a rare form of bravery. I award Gryffindor house fifty points.” 

Hannah did not know what else to do but laugh very loudly as she was clapped on the back by the crowd of roaring Gryffindors beside her. She had tears in her eyes as she looked over at her friends, who were cheering and smiling at her like everyone else, even Hermione, who had forgotten her own embarrassment. 

“Fourth… to Mr. Harry Potter…” Dumbledore said. The room went deadly quiet. “For pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points.” 

The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had five hundred and twenty-two points, exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup… if only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.

Dumbledore raised his hand again and the room fell silent. 

“As I said before,” Dumbledore said with a smile. “There are many different types of Gryffindor courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to our friends. I, therefore, award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom.” 

Someone standing outside the Great Hall might have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Hannah, Ron, and Hermione all stood to yell up and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before and Hannah jumped over the table to grab him by the shoulders and pull him up, yelling a thank you for trying to fight them. Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the side to look at Draco, who couldn’t have looked more stunned and horrified if he’d just had the body-bind curse put on him. 

“Which means,” Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin. “We need a little change of decoration.” 

He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Minerva’s hand with a horrible, forced smile. He caught Harry and Hannah looking and both black-haired children grinned at him shamelessly as he scowled. The atmosphere during the feast had significantly improved and they all sat down to eat and laugh amongst themselves, enjoying the new decor and attention. Hannah was shoveling shepherd's pie into her mouth when she looked over at the Slytherin table, where the celebratory mood had not spread. None of them were speaking much, just picking at their food and frowning. Hannah brought her fork back down as she saw a group of seventh-year girls crying into their hands, obviously distressed at their final win being snatched out from under them during their last feast. Hannah was happy that they’d gotten to piss Draco off, but she felt slightly sick at the other causes of the win. She tried to push it out of her head as she looked back over to Harry, who was blissfully oblivious to the tears from the Slytherin table and was happier than she’d ever seen him. 

The energy from the Gryffindor table and the shift in all the negativity towards Harry and his friends lifted his mood significantly, thoughts of Voldemort and what could’ve happened were pushed to the back of his mind as he ate and drank with the rest of his housemates. It turned into the best evening of Harry’s life, better than winning at quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls… he would never, ever forget tonight. 

**

In all the rush and happiness of their last few days at Hogwarts, the four marauders had almost forgotten exam results were supposed to come. Minus Hermione, of course, who could be seen running to the bathroom to vomit several times the morning they were supposed to get their results back. 

“You know you’ve done brilliant, Moony, I don’t know what you’re so worried about,” Hannah said as she pushed Hermione’s hair back while her friend draped herself over the toilet. Hermione sniffled before answering. 

“It’s just… I never had any friends before you guys and I was just so pleased when I got my letter and I got to come and have everything go well for me here… and since I’m muggleborn I feel like no one expects me to do well so I if I fail, they’ll kick me out and I won’t get to be a witch anymore and-” 

She was interrupted by Hannah kneeling down to the floor beside her and taking her face in her hands, wiping the tears off her cheeks with her thumbs.

“You are the smartest kid in this fucking school… no, don’t interrupt… it’s true. You being muggleborn has absolutely no correlation to how awesome you are. You’re smarter than all the purebloods in this school, they couldn’t kick you out if they wanted to! You’re brilliant, Hermione. Harry tells you that, Ron tells you that, I tell you that, everyone tells you that! Because it’s true.” 

Hermione smiled and pushed Hannah off playfully, wiping her nose on her sleeve as she stood. 

“You’re right… I am smart. I don’t know what I’m so worried about,” Hermione said with a grin as she opened the stall door and walked out, Hannah bouncing behind her excitedly with a huge smile on her face.

“Fuck yeah, you are, Moony, and if anyone ever tells you differently, I’ll kill them!” 

“Oh, take it down a notch, will you?” 

They got their results a few minutes later and to no one’s surprise, Hermione had the best grades in their year. Hannah was a few slots behind her, with good grades that she thought Remus would be pleased to see, and Harry and Ron had passed with decent marks, something neither of them seemed to care much about. Even Neville scraped through, thank goodness, as Harry and Ron had spent their morning in the bathroom with him trying to console him, very similar to how Hannah had spent hers. Neville’s herbology grade almost beat Hermione’s, which pushed his abysmal potions grade out of everyone’s mind as they crowded around his paper and congratulated him on the good work. 

They’d all been hoping that Crabbe and Goyle would be flunked out, but unfortunately, they passed as well, though Hannah did see Minerva giving them a talking-to after she handed them their slips. It was a shame, but as Ron informed them, you couldn’t have everything in life. 

The four marauders decided to spend their last lunch and dinner by the forest, listening to music on the grass like they’d done so many times before. They ran around to grab some food and then to speed out of the front door, slowing considerably when Professor Sprout reminded them of the no running rule. They made it out to the grass and set up like they normally did, Hannah letting Harry choose the record since she was in a good mood. He set on a mutual favorite to please all his friends, and they kicked back, listening to the song as they basked in the sun. 

_‘I, I will be king_

_And you, you will be queen_

_Though nothing will drive them away_

_We can beat them, just for one day_

_We can be heroes, just for one day’_

Hannah jumped up when her energy became too much to contain, pulling Ron up with her as she went, since she knew he was the only one that would dance with her. They hopped around and laughed, screaming the lyrics to the song they’d memorized within their first week at Hogwarts. Hannah’s heart felt light as she smiled down at Harry and Hermione, who were both smiling up and her and Ron and exchanging insults about the dancing. Hannah kicked Harry in the foot, her heart soaring even more when he grinned at her. She turned around just in time to be hit in the stomach by one of Ron’s flailing elbows, which sparked a play fight between the two as she straightened and then flung herself at him, knocking them both to the ground and staining the knees of their jeans with the damp grass below them. 

_‘And you, you can be mean_

_And I, I'll drink all the time_

_'Cause we're lovers, and that is a fact_

_Yes we're lovers, and that is that’_

Ron laughed loudly as his smaller friend pounced at him, knocking him to the ground as she attempted to pin him. He wrestled around with her for a few moments before throwing her off completely and flexing his muscles, claiming he just couldn’t be beaten. Ron made eye contact with Hermione as Hannah rushed back at him with a war cry and he grinned happily as he watched his friend laugh at him being thrown back on the ground. Ron felt like he was with family when he was with his three friends, and he realized he was going to miss them quite a lot over the summer. He tried to convey this emotion by tagging Harry in, laughing when Hannah flung herself at him instead and the two black-haired kids wrestled on the ground, messing up their food and the blanket they had laid out and ignoring Hermione’s shrieked reminders of their ‘no fighting on the blanket’ rule. 

_‘Though nothing will keep us together_

_We could steal time just for one day_

_We can be heroes forever and ever_

_What d'you say?’_

Hermione rolled her eyes as she pushed her friends off the blanket and it took her a second to realize that Ron was grinning down at her happily. She shook her head at him but he was already reaching down to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder, laughing as she shrieked despite herself. She made him set her down before pushing him in the chest playfully, and Ron leaned back to grab her again, both kids falling down like Hannah and Harry were as they wrestled. Hermione tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she punched Ron wherever she could reach him, but could not help but feel extremely happy at the attention from her friend. She didn’t want the school year to be over, she’d really miss the weekends spent out by the forest and the late nights up in the common room. At least they already had it planned out that she’d be going to Hannah’s for the last few weeks of summer.

_‘I, I can remember_

_Standing, by the wall_

_And the guns shot above our heads_

_And we kissed, as though nothing could fall’_

Hannah had Harry in a chokehold, something he was not too pleased about. He struggled for a few seconds before tapping out and Hannah grinned happily at the sound before letting go and jumping back onto the blanket for a sandwich. Harry sat down beside her, wrinkling his nose as she sang the words with food in her mouth. She laughed at him before pointing out Ron and Hermione, who were still wrestling on the grass. 

“Bet you a galleon Moony’ll win,” Hannah said with a nod of her head towards their friends. Harry snorted.

“Not taking that bet,” he said with a grin and Hannah laughed. Harry looked over at his friend and smiled to himself. He was glad they got to spend one more day together in the sun by the forest, as he’d probably miss these moments most. A few minutes later, Hermione had Ron in a headlock and he tapped out, much to everyone’s amusement. They came and sat back on the blanket with the other two, puffing and out of breath as they ate their lunch and laughed at Ron. Harry’s mood was light and happy as he looked around at his grass-stained friends, smiling at them as they joked amongst themselves. He did not want to go back to the Dursleys at all, but Remus had written to extend his house to him over the summer and Ron had done the same. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to spend more than a week at the Dursleys, as both Ron and Hannah insisted he’d be over soon. 

_‘We're nothing, and nothing will help us_

_Maybe we're lying, then you better not stay_

_But we could be safer, just for one day’_

The next day, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville’s toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets, and notes were handed out to each of the students as they walked out of the entrance hall doors to board the horseless carriages below. 

“I always hope they’ll forget to give us these,” Fred said sadly as he and his twin walked beside the four marauders and Neville, Dean, and Seamus. Hannah opened her letter to read the warning about not using magic over the holidays and sighed. She hoped her father wouldn’t be too serious about enforcing that rule; she really wanted to show him what she’d learned. They boarded the carriages in one group, Neville slightly squished on Dean’s side, and they were off down a twisting dirt road towards the Hogwarts express. The seven first years in the carriage had never been down that particular road, as they’d been taken up to Hogwarts in the boats, so they looked out the window to see the forest around them as Fred and George entertained them all with a game of exploding snap, which in all honesty was not a very good idea in the crowded compartment. 

Smoking slightly and singed around the edges, the friends all stepped out of the carriage a few minutes later to board the train together. They picked a compartment close to the door and spread out across the seats, talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and wider around them. 

“Fancy a game of chess, Ronniekins?” George asked jokingly and Ron groaned into his hands.

“I bet Neville could still beat you,” Hannah said with a smirk and her redhead friend jumped up to the challenge immediately, only to lose tragically in a matter of minutes, causing everyone in the compartment to roar with laughter. 

They shared a great deal of candy from the trolley and soon they were all pleasantly full of sugar, bouncing around the compartment, quite literally in George and Hannah’s case, as they’d decided to eat a brand of gummy frogs that left the consumer hopping around for at least ten minutes after eating. Soon they were changing into their muggle clothes, slipping off their robes shamelessly and bumping into each other as they scrambled around, looking for a certain shirt or belt. The train pulled into King’s Cross Station a few minutes later, and they all stacked up their things and pulled them out onto the platform, Hedwig, Ziggy, and Seamus’ owl, Nimbus, hooting happily in the atmosphere of platform nine and three-quarters. 

It took quite a while for them to get off of the platform, the parents were waiting around outside the barrier for the sake of less traffic. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn’t attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the muggles. 

“You’ll come and stay after a few weeks at Ron’s, right, Prongs?” Hannah asked as they stepped up next in line for the barrier. 

“Absolutely,” Harry said with a smile that Hannah returned. 

“You two will come too, of course,” Hannah said as she turned to Ron and Hermione behind her. “We’ll clear out my dad’s office for extra space.”

“Sounds good,” Hermione said with a smile. 

“Brilliant,” Ron said. “I’ll send you an owl, Harry. Let you know when you can come.” 

“Thanks. I’ll need something to look forward to.” Harry said. As always the comment about exactly how bad summer was going to be at the Dursleys made everyone else feel bad for Harry, but he did not seem to notice as he grabbed onto Hannah’s arm and pushed both their carts through the barrier, ending up on the other side surrounded by familiar faces. 

“Daddy!” Hannah called as she stepped over to Remus and gave him a hug, which he returned happily. He was still thrilled to see her even though it had only been a few days since their meeting in Minerva’s office, he’d been worried but she looked happy enough as Ron and Hermione came to stand beside her and Harry. Remus reached out and messed Harry’s hair up with his hand, grinning when Harry immediately tried to smooth it back down; a sight that was still relatively new to Remus and one that was always amusing to him.

“How is everyone doing?” Remus asked with a smile and Hannah’s friends answered happily, telling him they were great and it was good to see him again. He returned the saying as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley pulled up behind them, hugging Ron and saying hi to everyone else. Hannah raised an eyebrow at Ron’s little sister, who was watching Harry with wide eyes. She giggled and pointed it out to him and he huffed as he turned over to talk to Mrs. Weasley. 

“Busy year?” she asked.

“Very,” Harry said with a grin. “Thanks for the fudge and sweater, Mrs. Weasley.” 

“Oh, it was nothing, dear.” Mrs. Weasley said but she blushed happily. 

“Oh, that reminds me!” Ron said as he clapped his hand to his forehead and looked over at Remus. “Thanks for those chocolate frogs, Mr. Lupin.” 

“Yeah, thanks again,” Harry said as he’d already written to Hannah’s father after Christmas with his thanks. 

“It was nothing,” Remus echoed Mrs. Weasley happily before going back to his conversation with Mr. Weasley, about how exactly credit cards worked.

“Ohh, yes,” Hermione said, remembering her Christmas present from Remus. “That copy of The Jungle was a good read, thanks again. I just simply couldn’t believe-” 

“Ready, are you?” Vernon Dursley interrupted Hermione as he pushed his way past Mr. Weasley and Remus and stared down at Harry. He looked furious at the sight of the messy-haired boy, holding an owl in one hand and pushing a large trunk with the other. Remus raised his eyebrows at the expression on his face before he pulled Hannah and Hermione away from the large man and resisted the urge to pull Harry under his wing as well. 

“You must be Harry’s family!” Mrs. Weasley said politely. Behind Mr. Weasley and Remus, stood a bony looking woman who had her arms wrapped around a fat lump of a boy, who was wearing an expression similar to one walking through a haunted house. 

“In a manner of speaking,” Vernon huffed. “Hurry up, boy, we haven’t got all day.” 

He walked away to stand by his wife and son, tapping his foot as Harry turned around to have one last word with his friends. 

“See you over the summer, then,” he said with a forced smile and Hannah walked over and pulled him into a hug. 

“As soon as possible,” she whispered in his ear and he smiled happily as he hugged her back, enjoying the smell of her hair in his face. 

“Hope you have… er.... a good holiday?” Hermione said, looking uncertainly at Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant. Hannah pulled back in time to see the mischievous grin spreading across Harry’s face, and Remus, who was still standing to the side waiting for Hannah, felt his heart skip a beat at the familiarity of the look. 

“Oh, I will,” Harry said to his friends, who all raised their eyebrows at his happy tone. “They don’t know we’re not allowed to use magic at home. I’m going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer…” 

Hannah and Ron laughed, clapping him on the back as Hermione rolled her eyes. They waved him off as he walked over to his relatives, for once enjoying the calls of ‘see you, harry’ and ‘have a nice summer, potter’ from people he’d barely spoken a word to over the school year, as the confusion on his Uncle, Aunt, and cousin’s faces were very rewarding. 

Ron left with his family a few minutes later, held up by Mr. Weasley’s continued questioning towards Remus, and Hermione’s parents took her home a few minutes after that. Hannah and Remus walked to the car together, talking and catching up as best they could as they loaded Hannah’s things into the back and drove home.

“So,” Remus said as he turned down the radio and smiled at his daughter. “You were going to explain something?” 

“We explained everything already, daddy,” Hannah said with a confused look at her father. 

“I meant I’m still missing that explanation of why exactly you got detention,” Remus said as he turned down the dirt road that led to their cottage. 

“Ohh,” Hannah said with a nervous laugh. _“That…”_

They pulled up to their home a few minutes later, Remus still teasing Hannah about leaving the cloak behind. Hannah immediately jumped on Stardust and rode it around the backroads, lifting up in her seat as the wind blew through her hair and she sped past the countryside. Her own baby blue cottage was under the cover of many trees, so she had to speed out quite far to reach the vast emptiness that stretched out bright green over the earth. She’d always loved the color, it reminded her of home and of all the days spent exactly like this, with Remus cooking something for them both to enjoy and Hannah wearing herself down on the old bike that she’d had for as long as she could remember. 

She came back inside an hour later to stuff herself full of Remus’ cooking while they watched tv. They had a great night together, catching up and talking like they used to, and Hannah was happy that Remus seemed to have decided she didn’t deserve any punishment for what she’d done that year. Truthfully, Remus thought Hannah had been punished enough and also had no idea exactly how to discipline his daughter, as she’d never really done anything that serious before. He let it slide, hoping it wouldn’t happen again, since he really did like getting along with Hannah and thought restricting time with her friends wouldn’t do any good either way. 

They went to bed early that night, both almost too full to walk up the stairs. 

“Daddy?” Hannah said before Remus could say goodnight and walk into his room. Remus paused to look back at his daughter.

“Yes, love?”

“Can we go see grandpa tomorrow?” Hannah asked nervously and Remus’ smile faltered slightly but he pulled it back up for her sake. She’d been very worried about Lyall ever since Remus had informed her he was now staying in St. Mungo’s full-time, and he never had any real intentions of not letting her see his father, as he knew how much she loved him.

“Of course, puppy,” Remus said and Hannah smiled at him before walking back to her room and shutting the door behind her, slipping into pajamas and running to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth before pulling her bed covers over herself and tightening her grip on the stuffed black dog she held close to her chest, falling asleep almost instantly. 

_Hannah stood in the middle of a chessboard, sweating and crying as faceless white chessmen surrounded her, Ron, Harry, and Hermione._

_There was a small voice in the back of her head, telling her they’d be killed in a matter of seconds and her friends screamed at her to help, they kept telling her they knew she had a button to push to make it all go away, but Hannah couldn’t find the button._

_The white chessmen stepped forward and knocked her friends out of sight, and Hannah knew they were dead. She kept screaming her apologies, that she’d wanted to find the button, but the white chessmen just laughed at her before turning around and leaving the board._

Hannah jerked awake and was unsurprised to find herself drenched in sweat, the covers thrown off her body carelessly, and her pillows and stuffed animals strewn across the floor. She panted as she processed that it had just been a dream, and tried to calm herself down by rubbing her eyes and curling up in a small ball in the middle of her bed. But every time she closed her eyes, she could see faceless white chessmen coming at her from the dark and she finally shot up out of bed, almost angry with herself as she walked over to her father’s room and stood at the foot of his bed. 

Remus was sprawled out on his stomach, one single arm slung casually over the left side of the bed, where he never slept. Hannah poked the bottom of his foot through the blanket and he jerked awake, turning over on his back to look at his daughter through squinted eyes.

“Wassah matter?” he mumbled in a sleepy voice and Hannah sniffled. 

“I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you?” 

Remus sat up slightly and rubbed his eyes. Hannah was covered in a light sheen of sweat, and her eyes were puffy and red like she’d been crying. 

“Yeah, ‘course,” Remus said as he moved over and made room for Hannah to climb in next to him and curl up on his side like she’d done since she was a baby.

“You wanna talk about it?” Remus mumbled as he felt himself start to drift back into sleep. He'd known that she’d been having nightmares but didn’t expect her to already have one so soon after coming home and assumed that this must mean the nightmares were very bad.

“No,” Hannah said simply into her pillow and Remus didn’t push, just mumbled an ‘okay’ before falling asleep himself. Hannah found that her father’s presence, while it did not totally diminish the fear of the white chessmen lurking in the shadows, helped significantly and she was able to fall asleep around an hour later, telling herself that they could not hurt her with Remus there. 

They woke the next morning and didn’t talk about it, Remus decided if Hannah wanted to open up about her nightmares then she could, but he wouldn’t make her explain which was something Hannah was very grateful for. They left for St. Mungo’s after showering and eating breakfast, using the floo entrance and stepping out into the line that seemed to be almost out the door. They waited for some time, Remus growing more and more nervous as they got closer to the front desk, where he could see the same receptionist from his previous visit. They finally made it up to him and his eyes narrowed at Remus, who smiled weakly at him. The receptionist looked down at Hannah, who was standing next to Remus watching the interaction with a curious expression and he forced a fake smile on his face at the sight of the child.

“Can I help you?” he asked in a falsely cheery voice. 

“Yes, we’re here to visit Lyall Lupin. Non-magical related diseases,” Remus said with a nervous smile. The receptionist returned it and showed them where to go, giving them each a visitor's pass before they walked through the double doors. Hannah had picked up on the odd exchange between the two men and noted Remus’ nervous demeanor staying with him as they walked.

“Did you know that man?” Hannah asked as they walked down the hallway towards the stairwell, dodging nurses in green cloaks while simultaneously attempting to stay away from the paintings that lined the walls. Remus looked down at his daughter with a nervous expression and Hannah raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Er… yes, I do,” Remus said as he worked up the courage to go on, deciding that he shouldn’t lie to his daughter. “We actually went on a date while you were gone.” 

Whatever reaction Remus had expected from Hannah, it had not been to burst out laughing. 

“Well it can’t have gone very well, then?” she said as she snickered and Remus’ face broke out in a grin.

“No, it didn’t,” he said and Hannah laughed for a few seconds longer before pushing open the door to the stairwell and looking back at her dad.

“Still, I’m glad you’re… you know,” Hannah said and Remus just nodded with a smile, glad he hadn’t told his daughter the full truth. 

“Yeah,” Remus said awkwardly. 

“You could do better though,” Hannah said with a smirk as she pushed the door to the second floor open and stepped out. Remus rolled his eyes but smiled at his daughter as they walked down the hallway, him leading the way to Lyall’s room. 

“Pumpkin!” 

Hannah ran to Lyall’s side, pulling up a chair to sit next to him as Remus stood awkwardly behind the pair. Lyall blatantly ignored his son’s presence and gave his granddaughter all his attention, smothering her with questions about school, friends, and grades. They left around two hours later, stopping for lunch in the city at a small deli. 

“He looks bad,” Hannah commented as she poked at her food. Remus smiled sadly.

“I know, but there’s not much they can do now,” he said and he reached a hand over to pat hers when he saw her eyes well up with tears. “It’ll be alright, love. There’s a chance he might pull through.”

Remus hated lying to his daughter but as he’d grown up with a rather rough childhood, could not take her nightmares and worries over her grandfather all at once. He wanted her to get to live and be happy before she had to deal with the reality of life. He thought he’d done well enough with the circumstances they were under but still didn’t think eleven was the right age for so many problems. Hannah’s face lifted slightly at the lie though, and they went on with the rest of their day in better moods. 

The first few weeks of summer passed very quickly, with Hannah practicing quidditch and riding Stardust every day, and Remus going to work on the weekdays and leaving Hannah alone for the first time ever. Hannah missed her father when he was gone, but thought the freedom was cool. Plus she’d never gotten to play the loud rock music she’d found in the attic a few years back while training for chaser before. So they established somewhat of a routine, Hannah minding her own on weekdays until Remus came home at five, the two of them eating dinner and then going to bed. The weekends were spent with Lyall, something Remus did not enjoy but didn’t attempt to stop. Hannah’s nightmares woke her up around three times a week, and Remus stopped asking if she wanted to talk about it as she curled into his side each night. He knew if she wanted to, she would. 

Hannah wrote frequently to Ron and Hermione but heard nothing from Harry, and was starting to get concerned. They communicated amongst themselves and none of them had gotten even a word from Harry, and they’d each written him quite a lot. Hannah told Remus this and he shared her concern, writing to Minerva to make sure Harry was not being mistreated. She wrote back a day later to say that everything looked fine at Privet Drive, and if Harry was not answering then it had to be because he didn’t want to. 

“But he wouldn’t _do_ that!” Hannah said in a frustrated voice and Remus sighed.

“Cariad, I don’t know what else to tell you,” Remus said in a tired voice, trying to convey just how sorry he was by using the old Welsh word his mother had always called him, which he only remembered when Hannah was distressed. Hannah softened at the word but still looked upset, picking at her food with a frown on her face.

“I just know him, and he wouldn’t do that. He was looking forward to going to Ron’s as soon as possible and he wouldn’t just _ignore_ all of us!” she said as she threw her hands up beside her dramatically. 

“If we don’t hear from him in a week, I’ll write to Minerva and ask her to visit-” 

Remus’ words were interrupted by an official-looking owl swooping in through the window and throwing a letter down between them on the table.

“That wasn’t Hedwig,” Hannah said unnecessarily as Remus picked up the letter with shaking hands. He had a feeling he knew what it was about and his feeling, as always, was correct. 

_To Mr. Remus Lupin,_

_We send this letter to inform you that a family member of yours, Mr. Lyall Lupin, has asked to see you and a Miss Hannah Lupin during his final hours._

_So sorry for your loss,_

_Staff at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries_

“Shit,” Remus said in an odd voice as his heart felt like it had jumped up into his throat. At his reaction, Hannah’s eyes narrowed at her father and before he could stop her, she’d snatched the paper from him and turned it over to read for herself. Remus saw the exact moment it hit her, her face fell and shoulders slumped, and she looked up at him with tears in her eyes before setting down the note with trembling hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Heroes by David Bowie.  
> done with first year! only six more to go lol


	15. A Horse With No Name - Summer of Year Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *TW* mention of death and panic attacks around the beginning of the chapter and some gore towards the end.

Remus and Hannah slipped on shoes and walked towards the fireplace, not saying a word as Remus threw a handful of floo powder and stepped in the grate, pulling his daughter with him and mumbling St. Mungo’s under his breath. 

They stepped out of the floo entrance to the hospital after a few uncomfortable seconds of elbows and knees knocking together, straightening and wiping soot off their comfy clothes, which they had not bothered to change out of. It was coming on late at night so Remus had to show the letter he’d received minutes earlier to the familiar receptionist at the front desk, who had been leaning on the table in front of him with his head in his hands. He was, understandably, not pleased to see Remus’ face being the one to wake him from his catnap, but as he read the letter and took in the small girl still holding onto her father’s hand and staring at the floor with a look like she wasn’t really seeing anything, his face fell. 

“Here you are, so no one will bother you,” the receptionist said as he held out the two visitor’s passes to Remus, who took them both and tucked them into his pocket. “And I’m sorry for your loss,” the receptionist said in a quieter voice and Hannah looked up at the concerned tone, curious to see the first person to offer their condolences. 

“Thank you,” Hannah said in a stiff voice, causing Remus to look over at her in surprise at the sound of her voice. Hannah stood up on her tippy toes to squint at the nametag pinned to the receptionist’s robes. “Samuel?” 

The receptionist smiled at her fondly. 

“Yeah, it’s Samuel,” he said and Hannah nodded at him with a forced smile as she followed Remus towards the double doors, still holding onto his hand like a lifeline, whereas normally she’d put a few inches between them since she was all grown up now. Remus noticed the touch as he led her towards the doors away from the receptionist whose name he at least now knew, and sighed sadly at his daughter as they walked down the hallway, ignoring the shouts and suggestions from the paintings. Hannah’s face was pale and grave as she followed her father, and Remus gave her hand a small squeeze to reassure her but if she noticed she gave no sign, just kept a straight blank face as they walked up the stairs and pushed their way through the second set of double doors. They walked down the hall and soon stood at the door leading to Lyall, Hannah planting her feet firmly on the ground a few feet in front of it as Remus reached up to open the door. He looked back at her as he felt her hand slip through his fingers, eyebrows knitted together in concern as he saw her shaking slightly. Hannah looked like she was holding in a great deal of breath and Remus turned and got down on her knees, lifting her arms above her head as he reminded her to breathe. When the breath came so did the tears, and large sobs raked Hannah’s frame as she shook and looked into her father’s face, trying to listen to the calming words he was saying.

“...I can’t do this.” Hannah choked out and Remus shook his head at her, keeping her arms up above her head as he pressed a hand to her chest and tried to get her breathing to steady. 

“Hey, yes you can… no… look at me cariad... yes you can,” Remus said as he pulled a hand up to wipe the tears off Hannah’s face. 

“...no… I-” 

“Yes you can, look at me. When my mother died I was terrified when she asked to see me during her last few minutes. I was shaking and crying, just like you are now, but I had someone to help me through it and I know things are different now, but I’m going to tell you what Sirius told me,” 

Hannah choked slightly as the name came out of her father’s mouth and she looked up to meet his eyes, still trying to steady her breath but listening now with as much attention as she could manage, as Remus hardly ever talked about Hope dying and never mentioned Sirius by name unless he had to, especially not to Hannah. 

“Are you listening?” Remus asked and Hannah shook her head very fast, still watching him with wide eyes. Remus pulled Hannah’s arms back down to her sides and grabbed her by the shoulders, still moving his hands up and down in the rhythm he wanted her to breathe with.

“This doesn’t matter. None of this matters,” Remus said and Hannah choked again, taken aback by his words. “This is a temporary goodbye. You’ll see him again, just like I’ll see my mother again, and James, and Lily, and Peter, and Marlene, and Dorcas. The ones we love never really leave us. They follow us wherever we go and help us where we need it. You’ll see your grandpa again, puppy. This means nothing.”

Hannah’s breathing slowed slightly but she still shook as she reached a hand up and wiped her face off. 

“Sirius told you that?” 

Remus just nodded.

“Yes, right before my mother died. It was the best advice he ever gave me and I still don’t think he really understood what he was saying but it helped. And it’s true.”

Hannah just sniffled and Remus stood up off the floor, putting an arm around his daughter as he went and squeezing her shoulder.

“Now, what we need to do is make this a good goodbye. Just talk to him like normal, and make this last memory count, okay?”

Hannah just nodded and puffed out a breath of air before pushing the door open herself and walking through it, Remus by her side. A nurse came to greet them, showing them over to the last bed at the end of the room where the curtains were shut. Hannah tried to prepare herself for what she’d see behind the white sheets strung around her grandfather but still felt a kick in her gut at the sight of him as she pulled back the curtain and sat in one of the wooden chairs next to the hospital bed. 

Lyall was propped up on a pillow, smiling at his granddaughter as she sat down and reaching a hand out for her to grab, which she took with care. Lyall looked about the same color as the sheets underneath him, with dry cracked lips and large skin spots that stood out livid in contrast with the rest of his skin. 

The nurse pulled Remus aside before he could sit next to his daughter and leaned in to talk quietly between the two of them. 

“Just so you know, the disease has gotten to a point where the pain is almost unbearable. Any more magical assistance to keep it away will kill him and he’s asked to have it happen in a few minutes, he just wanted to see you two first,” she said in a sad voice, her eyes searching Remus’ scarred face, full of pity. Remus just nodded. 

“Thank you for letting me know,” he said before turning back around towards the other two, taking the chair next to Hannah and crossing his fingers in his lap while trying to ignore the swell of emotion that rose in his throat at the sight of his father. 

“I’ll give you three a few minutes to talk,” the nurse said politely as she walked back to close the curtains around them. 

“How are you doing, pumpkin?” Lyall asked with a forced smile.

“I’m okay,” Hannah said stiffly before breaking down into tears again. “I don’t want you to die.”

“I don’t want to either, love, but that’s life,” Lyall said, his voice cracking slightly around his words as he spoke. Hannah just cried silently, not knowing what else to say or do. 

“You’re so brave, pumpkin,” Lyall said to Hannah and as she looked up at him with familiar amber eyes, Lyall cracked a real smile. “I always hoped I’d see those eyes again,” he said more to himself than Remus or Hannah. He looked over to Remus, who was looking at him with the same colored eyes and he got a flash of a smiling, scarless four-year-old, running around the house as Lyall chased him.

“It was my fault, what happened,” Lyall said, looking directly at Remus, whose heart skipped a beat in surprise at the recognition. “I still remember my boy…”

Lyall’s hand twitched slightly like he wanted to take Remus’ as well as Hannah’s but he stilled himself as Remus’ chest swelled.

“I wish I could apologize to him.”

Lyall’s words cut through Remus like a knife and he sat back in his seat as tears welled in his eyes, cursing himself for thinking his father might have a last-minute change of heart. Hannah looked back and forth between her father and grandfather and opened her mouth to ask a question but Remus just held up a hand, shaking his head at her to discourage any more unpleasantness. 

Lyall was staring up at the ceiling with a blank expression, but he looked back over after a few minutes to see Hannah and smile again. 

“How are you doing, pumpkin?” Lyall asked again and Hannah looked up in confusion but told her grandfather that she was okay again. They sat for around thirty more minutes, trying to force conversation with Lyall and make him happy as he asked the same questions and complimented both of their eyes. After a while, Lyall started to grimace and call out in pain as his lungs slowed his breathing and stopped him from drawing full breaths. A few seconds later and he was coughing and spluttering, leaving Remus calling for a nurse as Hannah’s eyes widening and she grabbed onto her father’s sleeve. The nurse came running into their space a few seconds later, closing the curtains behind her so the other two occupants of the room didn’t have to see Lyall. 

“It’s time, you two,” the nurse said with sad eyes as she leaned over Lyall and tried to calm his retching coughs. Remus grabbed Hannah by the shoulder and tried to steer her away from Lyall’s bed but she planted her feet on the ground again and stuck a hand out towards Lyall’s bed. 

“I’m not leaving him!” she said fiercely, suddenly making up her mind at the thought of her grandfather dying alone. The nurse raised an eyebrow at her.

“You can stay if you like. I wouldn’t recommend it,” she said more to Remus but he looked down at his daughter and knew immediately that she wouldn’t move an inch unless she wanted to. So he kept his arm around her shoulder, trying to steady her shaking as the nurse pulled out her wand and mumbled a long incantation like a song, with many different flicks and complicated twists of her wand. Lyall’s coughing eventually stopped and his breathing slowed while Hannah and Remus watched, shaking as their hearts pounded in their chests. He finally lay completely still, eyes wide open to stare at the ceiling and Hannah cried again, turning back into Remus’ shirt to sob as he held her close. The nurse looked over at them with the same sad expression, and Remus just nodded at her before bending down and picking Hannah up to throw her over his shoulder, as he didn’t think telling her to stop crying and walk would work. The nurse had his address, and she promised to write with information about the funeral he now had to arrange but Remus did not really hear her, just nodded blankly before turning back towards the doors and walking out, carrying Hannah all the way down to the ground floor and pushing through the double doors, his daughter still crying into his shirt as they walked. Remus nodded at the receptionist but did not stop to chat, setting Hannah down next to the fireplace and throwing in a handful of floo powder before stepping inside and pulling his sniffling daughter with him, mumbling their home address under his breath.

They showed up in their house a few minutes later and Hannah kept crying, sobs raking her body as Remus grabbed her and picked her up again, walking over to the couch to lay down and try to comfort her. She cried for a while with her head on the pillow in his lap while he ran his fingers through her hair before she fell asleep, sniffling and puffy-eyed. Remus did not sleep a second that night, leaning his head back against the couch and trying to process his feelings as his daughter slept peacefully, her crying leaving her with blissful oblivion of dreams.

**

Lyall Lupin’s funeral was a bleak affair. With some help from Minerva and the Tonks, Remus organized a small burial for his father in just two weeks. Lyall was to be buried in the same graveyard that Hope was in on July 26th, the day after Hannah's birthday. It was poor timing, of course, but when asked if she was okay with having a later party Hannah only gave a grunt in return. Since the people who knew Lyall were such a small group, they didn’t have to do much more planning than that. Remus felt a sick responsibility as he looked over the guest list that consisted of him, his daughter, Minerva, Ted, Andromeda, and Dora. When Remus was bitten at the age of five, Hope and Lyall had been forced to pack up and leave all their friends and family behind, choosing to live off Lyall’s savings in the small run-down cottage that Lyall had continued to occupy after Hope’s death. Lyall and Hope living secluded lives because of their son's condition was something Remus had never been allowed to forget, especially after Hope died and Lyall needed an excuse not to work.

Anger boiled up in Remus’ stomach and he put the paper down on his desk so he could rest his head in his hands. All the reminders and photos of Lyall had been getting to him and he was very ready to have his father buried and done with. The thought itself brought guilt to him but he’d tried not to care as he went on, choosing to focus on getting it done and moving on. He’d cried only when going through old pictures of the family of three before Remus had been bitten, remembering faintly a time when Lyall loved and cared for him instead of shunning and writing him off as just a violent werewolf. The constant reminder of what could’ve been wore on Remus over the days of preparation, and it did not help that the next full was only two days after the funeral. Minerva and Andromeda had shown concern at the predicament, but Remus chose the soonest date and did not take no for an answer as he was certain that if he had to go through the moon with more sentimental bullshit to plan for his father, he’d wake up the next morning looking like he’d gone through a shredder as the wolf sensed anger and sadness and always took it out on its own body when there was no one else around. So he planned and stayed up late into the night, trying to get it done as soon as possible so he'd have time to plan a party for Hannah that compensated for the one she'd lost. 

But Hannah had never been less motivated in her life. Her usual happy energy had almost completely disappeared, and she stayed in bed all day, sleeping or just staring at the ceiling and trying to ignore her bladder when it got too full. Remus came in almost every hour, reminding her to eat and shower but Hannah did not seem to hear him when she did not want to, and just buried her face further down in her pillow and clutched the black stuffed dog close to her chest. It got so bad that Remus had to physically pull Hannah out of bed and make her shower, then insist she drink and eat something. Hannah just grumbled and snapped at him but followed his instructions reluctantly, something Remus was not used to from his daughter as she wasn’t a typically hostile person. He’d asked her if she wanted any of her friends to come to the funeral but she’d just said no and proceeded to ignore their letters. The date of the funeral weighed on Hannah’s mind as the days passed and whereas Remus was ready for it to be over and done with, Hannah dreaded the day Lyall would be under the earth. She thought it made it official; he was really and truly gone and even though she knew he was dead, she didn’t want to think about never speaking to him again. She tried to replay her father’s words in her head about seeing him again but found it harder and harder to believe as she watched Remus pass her door to visit the attic again, bringing back down old photographs and letters from his mother and father. 

Hannah's birthday passed with a small attempt at dinner from Remus that Hannah just picked at before claiming she was off to bed. Then the morning of the funeral came, and Remus was surprised when he came into Hannah's room to wake her and she was already in the bathroom showering and getting ready. He hadn’t been sure she knew what day it was but was pleased to see her functioning and left the small black dress he’d ordered for her on her bed and left her to it while he got ready. Hannah stared at the dress blankly for a few seconds before drying off and putting it on, pushing back thoughts of who it was for. 

They both got in their car an hour later after a small quick breakfast and rode in silence to the small church Minerva had arranged for the wake to be held. Remus’ hands shook on the steering wheel as he drove, and Hannah looked over at him with a frown.

“You could’ve waited until after,” she pointed out and Remus raised his eyebrows at the tone of her voice, which was conversational instead of the occasional grunts he’d been receiving. Maybe the funeral would help Hannah move on as well.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Remus replied and waited for a response from his daughter but just met silence as she nodded and went back to staring out of the window. 

They arrived a few minutes later, the first to do so besides Minerva, who was waiting for them at the doors. They filed in and took their seats next to the casket, where Hannah could see her grandfather's outline and felt a violent urge to throw something. She instead sat down next to Remus and took his hand, something he was very grateful for as the Tonks arrived and the ceremony went on. Hannah did not pay attention to the words that were said as a dull ringing rose in her ears and she stared at the casket that held her grandfather’s body. She hardly felt the hugs she received after the service or the condolences and expressions of sadness for the loss. She just followed behind Remus wherever he went and held onto his hand like a lifeline as she kept up a blank expression. She did not shed a single tear as Lyall’s casket was lowered into the ground by Remus and Minerva’s wands and she kept her cold demeanor as they found a small restaurant to eat at in the city together before heading home. The five other adults watched her apprehensively, concerned at the lack of her usual happy mood but Hannah did not notice this either as she picked at her food and took the occasional bite when Remus tapped his fingers next to her plate. They all went home a few minutes later, Remus and Hannah getting in their car to drive away as the other four apparated. Remus switched on the radio as they went and Hannah looked up at him in surprise, as she’d been expecting another silent drive. But Remus just smiled at her as a familiar song started playing and then proceeded to sing along. 

_‘On the first part of the journey_

_I was looking at all the life_

_There were plants and birds and rocks and things_

_There was sand and hills and rings_

_The first thing I met was a fly with a buzz_

_And the sky with no clouds_

_The heat was hot and the ground was dry_

_But the air was full of sound’_

Hannah watched with confusion as Remus’ face broke out in a smile and he sped up slightly on the road as he drove, singing the song and tapping his fingers on the wheel to the beat. He looked over at her and smiled even wider, surprising her further as he raised his eyebrows. 

“What? This was one of your grandfather’s favorite songs,” Remus said before turning back to look at the road.

“Well… yeah. I know,” Hannah said, still looking confused at the peak in Remus’ mood. As he'd predicted, the weight of Lyall’s funeral being lifted off his shoulders felt wonderful and he could not help the happiness rising in his chest as he drove away from what he mentally pictured was Lyall himself. He kept smiling and singing, unaware of the effect his mood change was having on Hannah, whose face was getting redder and redder by the second. 

_‘I've been through the desert on a horse with no name_

_It felt good to be out of the rain_

_In the desert, you can remember your name_

_'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain_

_La, la’_

Hannah reached over and turned off the radio with tears in her eyes and Remus’ singing was cut off abruptly as she turned to him.

“Why did you hate him so much?” she asked, her voice shaking with emotion and Remus looked over at her with wide eyes. 

“Oh, no puppy… I didn’t hate him.”

“Dislike then! You’re happy he’s dead I can see it! Don’t lie to me!” Hannah shouted and Remus gripped the steering wheel as her voice echoed in his sensitive ears and began to give him a headache. 

“Calm down-”

“I will not calm down! I can-”

“Hannah, I’m giving you ten seconds to lower your voice and take a deep breath. Calm down,” Remus ordered and Hannah shook slightly but took a deep breath.

“Better?” Remus asked but Hannah just scoffed at him as she sat back in her seat. Remus looked over at her for a second before sighing. 

“I didn’t hate Lyall. And I’m not happy he’s dead. We had our problems but I’d never be happy about something like this happening, you know that," Remus said and Hannah relaxed slightly but still looked upset.

“Why did you fight all the time, then? I deserve to know.” 

“There was no… _particular_ -”

“Don’t lie to me, daddy. I know it was something,” Hannah said and Remus sighed but did not take his eyes off the road.

“I just don’t think we should be talking about this now. I don’t want to sully your image of him either way.”

“I’m old enough and I want to know. I want to move on from him too, you know. I don’t want to be sad for the rest of my life.” Hannah said and Remus smiled slightly.

“You won’t be sad for the rest of your life, cariad. These things happen and we move on. But I suppose if you are asking… just know it doesn’t change how he felt about you, it was completely between me and him. He loved you unconditionally, it’s just me.”

Hannah nodded and Remus sighed again before speaking. 

“Do you remember when I told you about the prejudice towards werewolves? About how we aren’t human, don’t deserve rights, all that?” 

“Yeah.”

“Well, Lyall agreed with that,” Remus said and Hannah raised her eyebrows.

“But he knew you,” she said as if there was no possible way you could still have that perspective on werewolves and know Remus at the same time which, in most cases, was very true. Remus smiled slightly.

“Yes, well… it was his opinion that I was just no longer his son. That I’m a monster, I’m not human.”

“But you are-”

“I’m not human, love. There’s no debate about that. I don’t agree with most of Lyall’s opinions but he wasn’t wrong about that,” Remus said firmly and ignored Hannah rolling her eyes. 

“So him thinking that of me led to our… unpleasantness.” Remus said shortly, not wanting to ruin Hannah’s opinion of her grandfather completely. 

“That’s stupid,” Hannah said simply before reaching over and turning the radio back on. Remus looked over at his daughter, pleased to see her tapping her foot as she sang along to the same song as before, where the last few lines were playing. 

_‘The ocean is a desert with its life underground_

_And a perfect disguise above_

_Under the cities lies a heart made of ground_

_But the humans will give no love’_

The mood in the car lightened as they both sang along and Remus went back to smiling. There was never any real way to react to a loved one dying, he supposed. It wasn’t like there was a manual or a drill they’d all gone through as kids. Everyone handled it in their own ways, and if Hannah’s way was sleeping all day then singing happily after the funeral, there was nothing wrong with that. As long as she was handling it, Remus was okay. He’d tried therapizing her over the days after Lyall’s death but just received the cold shoulder, so he supposed explaining who Lyall was and making her realize he was a person who had made mistakes helped in some way. Even if Hannah needed more time, Remus was glad she could at least listen to music again. 

_‘You see I've been through the desert on a horse with no name_

_It felt good to be out of the rain_

_In the desert, you can remember your name_

_'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain_

_La, la’_

**

_Hannah,_

_I’m sorry to hear about your grandfather. I thought it might be something like that and I was really worried, now I’m just so sorry for your loss. I hope you’re doing okay and I’m glad you’re writing to us again. I’ve never lost a family member before but I imagine it’s very hard and I’m here for you if you ever need to talk._

_I'm also sorry we've missed your birthday. Are you planning on having a party still? Let me know, I'd love to come._

_My Uncle is here with his kids for the next few weeks and my Mum doesn’t want me to leave so it looks like I’ll just have to meet up with everyone at Diagon Alley. Can't wait to see everyone again! Plus I’m kind of nervous about the new booklist._

_Still haven’t heard from Harry and Ron is getting restless. I think Fred and George have talked him into taking his dad’s car to go get Harry themselves. If he tells you anything about it, please don’t encourage him. They could get in serious trouble and I’m obviously very worried about Harry but there are other ways. Just please tell him no if he asks. They listen to you._

_I hope you’re doing okay. How’s your dad?_

_With love,_

_Hermione_

**

_Hannah,_

_I’m sorry about your grandpa. That really sucks. I remember when my Uncle Bilius died I was torn up about it for weeks. It’s kind of weird just knowing you won’t ever get to talk to them again. I still miss him sometimes but I’m okay now. I’m happy you’re writing back and I hope that means you’re good._

_If I don’t hear from Harry in the next twenty-four hours then Fred, George, and I are gonna take dad’s car and drive to his house to get him. I still have his address and Fred and George said they could find the house so we’re gonna do it. Hermione’s been trying to talk me out of it but I’m really worried about Harry. Remember that time he let slip that story about them locking him in a cupboard with no food for like a week? I swear if I find out they’ve done something like that again I won’t rest until I learn that full-body-bind curse Hermione did on Neville._

_Don’t try to talk me out of it. I know you’re worried too._

_Happy to hear from you again,_

_Ron_

_P.S. Happy belated. Sucks under the circumstances but at least you're as old as me and Hermione now._

**

The day before the full moon, Hannah lay sprawled out in bed with one foot propped up on her window, pressing the curtains shut as she attempted a few more minutes of sleep. Ron and Hermione’s letters from last night after she’d decidedly written them both back as soon as she’d gotten home, sat on her bedside table both opened and replied to. She’d sent Ziggy to Ron a second after opening his letter, half-heartedly telling him to be careful and holding back her request that they stop by her house and pick her up before getting Harry. She knew Hermione had their best interests at heart and she also knew that she was just as worried about Harry as the rest of them were but Hannah couldn’t bring herself to tell Ron not to go, as she too thought desperate times called for desperate measures. 

She’d told Hermione this after Ziggy came home from his trip with no reply from Ron, and still hadn’t gotten a response, which led her to believe Hermione was probably irritated with her. This was not comforting but Hannah had to stand her ground when it came to Harry, who she’d still been worried about as she balanced out her grief over Lyall. 

Remus knocked on Hannah’s bedroom door and she jerked out of her sleep, knocking her foot against the window frame as she automatically straightened in bed. Cursing under her breath, she clutched her foot with both hands and rubbed the spot where it had hit before calling out to her father and telling him to come in. Remus entered a second later, smiling slightly as he looked at his daughter sitting up straight in bed and holding her foot. 

“Thought I heard you hit something,” he said with a grin and Hannah rolled her eyes. Remus just smiled at his daughter widely before opening the door all the way and stepping inside. 

“Go ahead and wake up for the day. I got a present for you,” Remus said before walking back downstairs and Hannah let go of her foot and raised her eyebrows, curious at what Remus was talking about. She jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. Down in the living room, Remus smiled at the sound of her feet hitting the ground with unnecessary force, pleased that she was no longer moping around all day. Hannah got ready and then ran down the hallway, stopping to jump up on the banister and slide down. Remus rolled his eyes at his daughter as she landed on the carpet of the living room but chose not to comment on her newfound energy as he smiled and pulled her over to look at the rather large box that sat in the middle of the room. 

“I went out this morning to get it before you woke up,” Remus said as Hannah walked over to the box. Immediately, as if it could sense her coming, the box shook slightly and Hannah took a few steps back, standing beside Remus and eyeing the box with apprehension. She was happy that Remus had thought to get her something so randomly, but knowing her father and his extensive love for all strange creatures, she just hoped it wasn’t another grindylow or bowtruckle. 

"What the bloody hell is that?"

"Language," Remus warned with a grin. “Go on, open it. It won’t hurt you,” he said and Hannah raised an eyebrow but went over to the box, noting the large holes that had been poked into the top. She opened it and immediately gave a cry of delight, reaching into the box that she now saw held a small fuzzy friendly-looking creature that was definitely not a grindylow. Remus smiled again as she took the animal in her hands and stood up.

“It's a puffskein,” Remus explained. “I thought about a dog or a cat but puffskeins are much more cuddly and easier to keep around. Plus it’s small enough that you can take it to school with you when you go back and as long as you don’t carry it to class with you, no one but your dormmates will know you have it.”

Hannah looked over at her father and smiled widely.

“Thank you so much, I love it…” Hannah said before looking back at the puffskein and petting it on the head with a finger, laughing when it started to emit a loud humming sound. The animal was round and fuzzy, roughly the size of a coffee mug, with custard-colored fur and warm brown eyes. It moved up to touch her hand with its nose, and a long snake-like tongue darted out of its mouth to wrap around her finger. Hannah beamed at it.

“I just thought you could use a pet,” Remus said as he stood off and watched his daughter interact with the animal. “You know, something cuddly. Owls aren’t exactly snuggly.” 

Hannah laughed at that. 

“True,” she said with a smile. “Soren hasn’t let anyone but you touch him for as long as I can remember and Ziggy only lets me pet him when he’s in a good mood.”

“Exactly,” Remus said with a smile and Hannah went back to playing with her new pet.

“Do you know what you’re going to name it?” Remus asked and Hannah looked up at her father with a grin on her face. She held the puffskein up high in her hands dramatically as she granted it a name.

“Gizmo.”

Remus laughed.

“Gizmo?” he asked with a grin and Hannah nodded as she brought her new pet back down and started to pet it again.

“Yeah, like from Gremlins. Don’t they look kind of similar? And listen to it hum,” Hannah said and Remus smiled as she ran her finger over the animal’s backside and he emitted a loud humming noise, similar to the Gizmo from The Gremlins just without the tune. 

“No, yeah, it fits,” Remus said with a smile, and Hannah’s face lit up.

“Ohh, can we watch that movie tonight? We have it, I know we do, and I wanna show Gizmo!”

Remus smiled at his daughter’s request to show an animal a movie, but agreed nonetheless, happy to see Hannah out of her funk as she ran around to show Gizmo different parts of the house and thanked Remus repeatedly.

For dinner that night, Remus and Hannah cooked as Gizmo got acquainted with Ziggy and Soren. The two owls did not peck at the puffskein but they did find that they liked to pick it up and then set it back down, making it bounce across the table as it hummed happily at the game. Remus and Hannah turned on Gremlins while they ate, Hannah setting Gizmo down in her lap as the movie played and feeding him little bites of food off her plate, as Remus had informed her that puffskeins could eat anything and everything. The movie played and Remus watched his daughter as she smiled at the film, happy with his choice to get her another companion. Having to pull money out of Sirius’ vault had been worth it. 

Hannah exclaimed as Gizmo’s namesake appeared on the screen, picking up the puffskein and telling it to look, even though it had no idea what was going on. Remus chuckled at his daughter. 

_“Hey… aren’t you cute! Has it got a name, Dad?”_

_“Yeah- Mogwai.”_

_“What?”_

_“Mogwai. I don’t know, some Chinese word. I just call him Gizmo. He seems to like it.”_

The Lupins smiled at the movie and watched the whole thing together, Gizmo eating the rest of the food off their plates as they sat back. Remus pretended not to see Hannah hiding behind her hands when things popped out and tried not to mouth every word to the movie, as it had been a favorite of Hannah’s ever since she was little, which meant the movie had been played on repeat several times a day, as little kids had no sense of what was ‘too much’. She’d also loved The Labyrinth when it came out and even though the goblins scared her, the movie sparked her love for everything David Bowie, which was something Remus decidedly never told her she shared with Sirius. 

They went to bed that night with full stomachs, Hannah keeping Gizmo on her pillow as she slept peacefully, lulled into a sense of security at the small hums that were the puffskein’s snores. 

The next morning Remus woke Hannah up early, making her pack an overnight back for the Tonks’. Hannah had already spent one full moon night at her Aunt and Uncle’s house, and though it made her sad to think she’d never spend that time with Lyall again, she found she didn’t miss it as much as she would have if she hadn’t known the real meaning behind all his snide remarks. 

Ted came to apparate Hannah to the house after breakfast, as Remus was too weak to do so and still couldn’t apply for side-along apparition with his condition. Hannah said goodbye to her father and tried not to worry too much as she took Ted’s hand and walked out of the door with Gizmo in her hand. Remus looked like he always did the day of the full, tired, sweaty, and pale but Hannah worried nonetheless. Remus spent the majority of the day sleeping while Hannah spent the day baking with Andromeda and showing Gizmo off to her Aunt and Uncle. 

When the moon tugged on Remus’ bones and woke him up out of his nap, he moaned as he sat up in bed before climbing down the stairs to chain himself to the basement floor. He stripped naked and did the chains around his ankles before sitting back against the cold stone floor with a grimace. As the moon rose, his bones cracked and melted, and Remus held in a scream until his wrist snapped completely back and he howled in pain. There was never any ‘getting used to’ the pain of his transformations. It was just as terrible every time and though he always tried to hold back his screams, he was never successful. 

Remus’ eyes turned black and his skin broke out in fur, his mind finally going blank as the wolf took over. It stretched and howled before shrinking back down and trying to pace the room, upset when it felt the chains around its ankles. It pulled and pulled but the chains did not budge, held together by many powerful charms placed there by the man that had once again been taken over by the wolf. The wolf howled again in frustration, hoping that another animal would hear and set him free. The wolf longed for his old pack, longed for the scruffy black dog that had always found him a way out of predicaments like this. But the howling met no answer, and the wolf shrunk back down, ripping a few claws across its chest in frustration.

A thousand miles away, a large black dog sat with its head poking through the bars of a cell, staring up at the full moon with wide silver eyes. It watched as the moon rose slowly in the sky and came to rest right where it reflected across the black water surrounding the tall prison that was Azkaban. The yellow moon shone in the black dog’s eyes and it’s skinny body shook with repressed emotion and anticipation as it cocked it’s head up and howled at the sky, throat ripping and voice shaking as it howled and howled. The prisoners in the cells next to the dog screamed with it, convinced that the howling was just another figment of their imaginations. 

“STOP IT, STOP IT.”

“SHUT IT UP.”

“Please… please…”

The dog did not listen, just howled until its voice wavered and gave out. It then watched as the moon went down and the sun rose in the sky. It jumped down from its perch on the chair and paced it’s small room, up and down, up and down. The dog paced for exactly three hours until it was certain something would be taken care of. Then it waited for a large dementor to pass its cell before morphing back into human form. 

Sirius Black straightened on the floor and picked up a small piece of rock from under the windowsill, walking over to the side of the cell that was hidden from human visitors and scratching one tally mark next to the hundred other ones that lined the wall. He threw the rock down and stepped back towards the wall, taking in all his previous markings from the years before. Sirius didn’t even know why he did it, as if he needed any more guilt weighing on his conscience. But every month without fail, he marked the moon and reminded himself who was still out there. Who was hopefully still out there...

No. Remus was strong. Remus wouldn’t have let the curse kill him. He was stronger than Sirius, he’d been stronger than James-

Sirius jerked and morphed back into dog form at the recognition of James in his head. He paced the floor before curling up on the stone and falling into a restless sleep. 

**

Andromeda and Hannah came by early the next morning, Andromeda still rubbing sleep out of her eyes and not very pleased at her niece waking her up to leave at the crack of dawn. Hannah, like her fathers, had not gotten even a wink of sleep the night before and had stayed up staring out at the moon with Gizmo in her lap, playing with him and smiling as he hummed. She had to admit spending the fulls with him made them slightly better, but she’d still done her usual worrying over Remus as the night went on. 

They went up the stairs to his room together to find him unconscious and sprawled out on the sheets, sweating profusely even though the room was rather cold. They went over to see a gash so deep in his chest and side that the white bone underneath was very visible. How he'd even gotten up the stairs was a mystery to both women but Hannah gasped and Andromeda acted very fast, pulling Hannah out of the room and ignoring her protests as she shut and locked the door behind her. Hannah, who was not used to having someone besides herself help Remus after the full moons, grew red with anger very fast and threw her bag down on the ground, setting Gizmo on top of it a lot more carefully before throwing herself at the door and banging on it repeatedly. Andromeda just placed a silencing charm on the door with a flick of her wand as her niece's language grew more and more profane.

Andromeda had taken care of Remus after his fulls a good few times and knew enough about healing to fix him as well as she could. But the wolf hadn’t torn down to the bone since the Potter’s died and she was rather concerned about why this level of emotion was showing up again. As she swept her wand over the gash and closed it with a tricky incantation like a song, she made a mental reminder to talk to him about it. He hadn’t seemed to be too upset about Lyall’s death but knowing Remus, he’d probably been more distraught than he let on. 

When Remus was patched up and healed, Andromeda opened the door to find Hannah sitting down right beside it with her arms crossed and knuckles bruised. As the door swung open, Hannah jumped up and looked at her aunt, who had to bite back her surprise once again at how remarkably like Sirius she looked as she squared her shoulders, straightened her back, and got in Andromeda’s face.

“You had no right to shut me out here! I know way more about healing him than you do and I could do it myself-”

“You are a child and you do not need to see your father in a state like that,” Andromeda retorted.

“I am not a child! I’m grown and I’ve seen him way worse-”

“No you haven’t, don’t you lie to me. You’ve fixed broken ankles, not punctured lungs.”

“IT DOESN’T MATTER! HE’S MY DAD!”

“Don’t you raise your voice at me,” Andromeda spat and Hannah took a step back as her Aunt straightened and looked down at her, resembling her pureblood lines more than Hannah had ever seen. “Your father taught you better than that. You need to learn to control that temper and watch your attitude when you are speaking to an _adult._ Now, you can go see him if you like but if you keep shouting you’ll wake him up and you will be responsible. Do you understand me?” 

Hannah shook slightly and dug her fingernails into the palm of her hand to keep herself from going back to shouting.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Good,” Andromeda said and Hannah just ground her teeth as she stepped around her and ran over to Remus’ bed to sit down next to him. Andromeda watched from the doorway as Hannah pulled her father’s head into her lap and started working on untangling the auburn curls on his head. She looked back at Hannah’s bag as the small puffskein fell off and bounced a few times on the floor before coming to rest at her feet. Andromeda bent down to pick it up and walk it over to Hannah and Remus, where it snuggled between the two of them and began to hum contently. 

“Thanks,” Hannah said stiffly and Andromeda nodded.

“He’ll need potions again when he wakes up, but he’ll be able to do them himself most likely.”

“I know,” Hannah said. Andromeda turned to walk away but stopped at the sound of Hannah’s voice. 

“I’m sorry.”

Andromeda turned and smiled sadly.

“That’s quite alright, love. I know what having a temper is like too. You just have to learn to control it.” 

Hannah smiled back but said nothing and after a few seconds of standing over the two of them, Andromeda turned back around and left the house, apparating at the doorstep. Hannah sang the words to the first song that popped into her head as she twisted her fingers through Remus’ hair, trying to ignore the bandages and thin layer of sweat that covered his forehead. 

_‘In the desert, you can remember your name_

_'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain_

_La, la’_

Hannah mumbled the ‘la’s to herself and soon looked up and smiled as the same tune came from Gizmo, who was resting in the crook of Remus’ elbow. She repeated the tune and Gizmo hummed it with her, something that made her have to restrain herself from waking Remus up and showing him what Gizmo could do. They went back and forth while Remus slept, Hannah forgetting her own tiredness as she taught Gizmo new songs. Soon though, exhaustion swept over her and she scooted down so she could lay on Remus’ good side and fall asleep on his arm while Gizmo’s small humming snores came from the other. 

**

Remus’ side took a few days to heal, so the two of them remained mostly in his bed watching old movies on the T.V in his room that only took tapes. Three days after the moon, a large brown thing flew directly into Remus’ window, causing them both to jump and look up at it. Hannah got off from her perch at the foot of the bed to stick her head out of the open side of the window to see Ron’s owl Errol lay sprawled out in the grass. Hannah snorted before turning around and running down the stairs, answering Remus’ question about what it was with a simple shout of ‘Ron’. Hannah went around the side of the house, picking up Errol and carrying him back into the house to set him on the perch next to Soren, who did not seem pleased by the company. Hannah took the letter from Errol’s leg and opened it excitedly, giving a shriek of delight when she recognized the handwriting that was not Ron’s. 

_Hannah,_

_Ron told me about your grandpa. I’m really sorry for your loss and I’m also really sorry I couldn’t be there to help. I’ll explain all about why I wasn’t responding when I see you next, it’ll be easier in person. And no it wasn’t the Dursleys, I’m perfectly fine._

_How are you doing though? Ron says you sound happier in your letters but I want to hear it from you. I also heard your birthday passed which is the same for me. You don't have to get me anything, by the way. I spent my birthday with the Dursleys and didn't have a chance to buy anything._

_But how’s your summer been? What have you been doing? I’m a little out of the loop, my letter to Hermione is going to look quite similar to this one._

_I’m at Ron’s house now and I’ve met most of his siblings now (I think, I can’t keep up sometimes). It’s really lovely here though I like it a lot. They’ve even got chickens and we can play quidditch every day. They’re all really nice too. I wish I could spend every summer here._

_The trip to come and get me went fine too. Although they won’t tell me, I’m pretty sure George took out a few pigeons on his way up. Did you know their car can fly?_

_How’s your dad doing? Ron’s dad doesn’t shut up about him sometimes, I think he likes how much he knows about muggle stuff. He asks me a lot of stuff about it as well and you’ll probably get it too when you come. He’s very interested in rubber ducks, just a heads up._

_When are you coming, by the way? I know you’ll probably be spending time with your dad but we both missed our birthdays and maybe we could have a small party to celebrate. The Weasleys are a great lot to be around. Hermione is gonna meet us in Diagon Alley next Wednesday so we can all get our books together. Can you make it? It would be great to have everyone back together again._

_Love,_

_Harry_

Hannah smiled at the letter and ran back upstairs to show Remus, who smiled as well as he read over Harry’s messy scrawl. He looked up at his daughter and was pleased to see her bouncing on her feet again, looking apprehensive for his answer.

“I guess we’ll be going to Diagon Alley, then,” he said and grinned as Hannah yelled a ‘yes’ and punched the air. Remus looked back at the letter again before speaking.

“Wednesday… If we spend that shopping I think Thursday will be a nice day for a joint party. You still have a few presents to open, I've just been looking for an open window. I’ll write to Arthur and ask if we can have the party at his house. Our dining room table is a little small.”

Hannah’s eyes widened at the thought of a big party and a smile spread across her face.

“Really?” she gasped and Remus nodded.

“Of course,” he said with a grin. “You can show your friends Gizmo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is A Horse With No Name by America


	16. Yellow Submarine - Summer of Year Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *TW* implied child abuse towards the middle of the chapter  
> quoting from the Chamber of Secrets

Remus wrote to Arthur a few minutes later about the joint party at Hannah’s request, choosing to not mention the flying car that Harry had talked about in his letter. Remus knew that Arthur was interested in muggle things and it seemed very plausible that he might have tinkered with an old car to make it fly. Remus just hoped it hadn’t been seen. But either way, he’d cover for Arthur if he had to. 

Remus had been worried about asking such a huge favor from the man he hardly knew, but the Weasleys wrote back that same day with Soren, delighted to have Hannah and Remus over and welcoming them to invite anyone else that they wanted to come. As Remus replied to tell them not to worry about dinner or cake, as he and Andromeda would be making it like every other year, Hannah ranted about inviting all her friends from school; the Gryffindors from her year, the Hufflepuffs she’d chatted with during herbology, the Ravenclaws she’d sat by in the library, and the two quiet Slytherins she’d heard talking in the bathroom and inserted herself in their conversation to find that they were rather nice. 

“Absolutely not,” Remus said firmly as Hannah counted off names on her fingers of roughly twenty extra people. 

“But they’re all my friends!” Hannah complained.

“We will be in someone else’s house, puppy. We can’t invite half the school,” Remus said as Hannah sighed. “You can invite two extra friends. Remember Minerva and the Tonks will be coming as well.”

Hannah pouted for a few more minutes before she decided that he was probably being fair. But now, which two friends to settle on? Hannah knew immediately that Hermione was her first choice, but she had to think for a while to decide who else she’d be asking. Her mind raced through her fellow Gryffindors, who she was still closest with. Seamus, Dean, Parvati, Lavender, Neville… _Neville._

“Hermione and Neville!” Hannah exclaimed and Remus smiled at her.

“Go ahead and write to let them know,” he said with a smirk as Hannah scraped her chair against the floor running for a quill and parchment. She wrote her two friends and sent the letters off with Ziggy so he could deliver them both and get their responses. As he flew away, Hannah circled back around to her chair and picked up her school booklist again. She snorted. 

“Someone’s got a crush,” Hannah said with a grin and Remus looked up curiously. “Look at the booklist for Defense this year,” she said as she pushed the piece of parchment towards Remus, who picked it up to read.

SECOND YEAR STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE:

 _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2_ by Miranda Goshawk

 _Break with a Banshee_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Gadding with Ghouls_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Holidays with Hags_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Travels with Trolls_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Voyages with Vampires_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Wanderings with Werewolves_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Year with the Yeti_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

“Gilderoy Lockhart,” Remus snickered. 

“Have you read any of his books?” Hannah asked curiously. 

“I tried,” Remus said with a grin. “Didn’t seem very plausible to me though…”

“Why’s that?”

“Well, I went to school with him.”

“You’re joking.”

“Sadly, no. He was a few years behind me but I still saw way more of him than I ever needed to see.”

“What do you mean?”

“He was just… the kind of person who made himself known,” Remus smiled to himself as he remembered James imitating Gilderoy’s strut as they walked down the hallway. “Still, reading these…” Remus handed the booklist back to Hannah. “Couldn’t see him doing any of that stuff.” 

Hannah frowned at the list as she read it over again and Remus raised an eyebrow at her. 

“Still… keep an open mind about the teacher. You never know why they assigned them and who knows, I could be wrong.”

“Right.”

The next day Hannah heard back from Hermione and Neville, both of them were excited and ready to come, although Neville seemed slightly put out that his grandmother was insisting she accompany him. Remus just smiled sadly as Hannah ranted about his letter, remembering a time when Mrs. Longbottom sat in the back of all Gryffindor birthday parties while Frank played with his friends. 

The next few days passed in a blur, with Remus making plans and running out of the house to get ingredients for food and presents for Harry and Hannah, who had requested a present Remus hadn't had time to get yet. While Remus knew he had enough money in Sirius’ vault to buy Hannah thirty presents for her birthday for the rest of her life, he still narrowed it down to only what she wanted most, even if the thing she wanted cost more than he made in a year. Did it matter if it was just one thing? Remus hoped not. 

Wednesday morning, Hannah was practically bouncing off the walls at the prospect of seeing her friends again. Remus dressed and got ready while Hannah yelled at him to hurry up, and soon they were stepping into their fireplace, Remus speaking the words 'Diagon Alley' firmly after throwing down a handful of floo powder.

They stepped out into said alley after seconds of spinning and breathing in soot. Wiping themselves off, they got out of the way of the entrance and followed the flow of traffic down the colorful alley. Hannah’s eyes still grew wide as she took in the different shops and the witches and wizards that swarmed around them. It was rather crowded, but Hannah spotted the large group of red-haired people almost immediately. She took Remus’ hand and pulled him towards them, grinning when she saw who else stood with the family.

“Hermione!”

“Hannah!”

The two girls hugged before Hannah pulled away and smothered Ron in a bone-crushing hug, smiling to herself as he patted her on the back in return. She stepped back a few inches to look at him once he announced he couldn’t breathe.

“How did you get even taller?” Hannah questioned and Ron just smirked and puffed out his chest, obviously pleased with his height difference. Hannah and Remus greeted the rest of the family, which today consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Fred, George, and Percy, and noticed that they all looked rather worried. Hannah pulled back after shaking hands with everyone there with a frown on her face.

“But where’s Harry? I thought he was with you,” she asked and Ron’s face fell as he started to wring his hands. 

“Well that’s the question, isn’t it?” he said nervously. “We can’t find him. We all came by floo powder and Harry’s never used it before… so stupid, I should’ve realized… but we don’t think he did it right because he’s nowhere to be found.” 

“But he could be anywhere!” Remus said as he craned his neck over the crowd, trying to look for the familiar mess of black hair. 

“Exactly,” Mrs. Weasley said, her eyes welling up with tears as she imitated Remus’ searching. “I just hope he’s okay, the poor thing, always so nervous around people… who knows how he’ll get around.” 

“There, there, Molly,” Mr. Weasley said reassuringly as he patted his wife on the back. “He’ll turn up.”

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Ginny’s eyes widened and she pointed up the street with a dazed expression. 

“Woah.”

The rest of the group turned to look at what she was pointing at and smiled when they saw a huge man coming down the alleyway, ignoring the many looks he was getting for his size and holding a soot-covered Harry by the shoulder. Harry grinned sheepishly when he saw his friends run up towards him. 

“Harry!” Hannah exclaimed as she reached him and gave him a hug. She released him and then it was Hermione’s turn, who smothered him and then held him out at arms-length to examine him. 

“What happened to your glasses?” Hermione fussed as Ron moved her out of the way and slapped Harry on the back. 

“Where did you turn up?” he asked as the rest of his family and Remus caught up behind them. 

“Knockturn alley,” Hagrid answered for Harry grimly. 

_“Excellent!”_ Fred and George said together. 

“We’ve never been allowed in,” Ron said enviously. 

“I don’t see why you’d want to,” Hannah mumbled under her breath.

“I should ruddy well hope not,” Hagrid growled at Fred, George, and Ron’s jealous faces. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny pushed their way up to the front of the group as Fred, George, and Ron just smirked at each other.

“Oh, Harry… oh, my dear… you could have been anywhere,” she panted as she pulled out a large clothes brush out of her bag and began sweeping the remaining soot off Harry. Mr. Weasley reached over and took Harry’s glasses and after a tap of his wand, he returned them, good as new. Harry mumbled a thanks as he looked up at Remus and greeted him, smirking when Remus reached out and messed his hair. 

“Well, gotta be off,” Hagrid announced as he had his hand wrung by Mrs. Weasley (“Knockturn Alley! If you hadn’t found him, Hagrid!”). Hagrid just smiled and brushed it off before he looked over at Remus and smiled even wider. 

“Lupin! Almost didn’ recognize you, it’s been so long,” Hagrid said as Remus smiled politely at him. 

“Indeed it has,” Remus said. “Good to see you, Hagrid.”

Hagrid smiled and clapped Remus on the back, propelling him forward a few feet into Mr. Weasley. 

“Sorry abou’ that,” he chuckled as Remus straightened and regained his composure. “Good ter see you too! And I’ll see you lot at Hogwarts!” Hagrid said to the kids as they smiled and waved him off. The adults talked for a minute about where to go first since Remus had already visited Sirius’ vault and withdrew money a few days prior, as he didn’t want the Weasley’s to see the contents or the name. He insisted that he and Hannah would wait for the rest of them and after a bit of arguing they were off towards the marble steps of Gringotts. 

“Guess who I saw in Borgin and Burkes?” Harry asked his three friends as they walked. “Malfoy and his father.” 

“Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?” Mr. Weasley said sharply behind them. 

“No, he was selling-”

“So he’s worried,” Mr. Weasley said with grim satisfaction. “Oh, I’d love to get Lucius Malfoy for something…” 

“You be careful, Arthur,” Mrs. Weasley said sharply as they were bowed into the bank by a goblin at the door. “That family’s trouble.”

Hannah and Remus exchanged a look.

“Don’t go biting off more than you can chew-”

“So you don’t think I’m a match for Lucius Malfoy?” Mr. Weasley said indignantly but was distracted almost immediately by the sight of Hermione’s parents, who were standing nervously at the counter that ran along the marble hall with a boy around Hermione’s age between them, waiting for their daughter to introduce them. 

“But you’re Muggles!” Mr. Weasley said delightedly. “We must have a drink! What’s that you’ve got there? Oh, you're changing Muggle money. Molly, look!” He pointed excitedly at the ten pound note in Augustus Granger’s hand. 

“Meet you back here,” Ron said to Hermione and Hannah as the Weasleys and Harry were led off to their underground vault by another Gringotts goblin. Remus, Hannah, and Hermione stayed with Hermione’s parents, who both looked relieved at the sight of a wizard who knew how to help them with their money. Remus greeted them politely before turning to talk to the goblin that was having a hard time understanding what they needed done as Hannah and Hermione stepped a few paces away with the boy that had been standing with Jean and Augustus. 

“This is my cousin Atreyu, Hannah,” Hermione said as she introduced the pair. “He’s a muggle but we’re very close and I simply had to tell him and bring him along.” 

“Nice to meet you, Atreyu,” Hannah said politely as she shook his hand. “I’m Hannah. Cool name.” 

Atreyu was skinny and lanky like Hermione, but the resemblance stopped there. He was a few inches taller than Hermione, with short-cropped hair, straight teeth, and skin a few shades darker. When he spoke his voice cracked slightly with the comings on of puberty and Hannah had to bite back a grin. 

“Nice to meet you too and thanks. My parents got it from The NeverEnding Story.” 

“Oh, I love that movie.”

“I can’t stand it. Seen it more times than I can count.” 

“I imagine you would have,” Hannah said with a laugh and the three of them chatted happily while they waited on Hermione’s parents and Remus to finish up. Hermione smiled happily as Hannah joked with Atreyu like she would Ron or Harry, pleased that her best friend was already getting along well with her cousin. 

The Weasleys and Harry came out from their trip to their separate vaults a few moments later, Harry looking rather disgruntled. The Grangers had successfully switched their money so they all walked out to the marble steps and talked about where they were headed next. Percy muttered vaguely about needing a new quill, Fred and George had spotted Lee Jordan and were slowly backing away from the group as their mother tried to organize them, Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were going to a secondhand robe shop, and Mr. Weasley was insisting on taking the Grangers off to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink, welcoming Remus as well when Jean asked him to come along. 

“We’ll all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your school books,” Mrs. Weasley said as she set off with Ginny. “And not one step down Knockturn Alley!” she yelled at the twins’ retreating backs.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hannah, and Atreyu strolled off along the winding, cobbled street. The sun beat down on their heads as they walked and soon Harry was dragging them over to a small ice cream stand where he bought them each a strawberry-and-peanut butter ice cream cone. They all thanked him and then resumed their walk up the alleyway while slurping happily at the treat. Atreyu found everything very interesting so they stopped a lot to explain what a certain magical item was. Harry smiled at the boy he’d only just recently met, remembering a time when everything magical had been new to him as well. 

“So,” Hannah said as she wiped off her mouth with her sleeve. “What happened over this summer? You said you’d explain.” 

Harry smiled as Hermione perked up as well, and soon they went back to walking down the alleyway while Harry explained about the house elf that had stolen his letters and then dumped pudding on his Uncle’s business partner’s wife. 

“A house-elf did all that? Merlin,” Hannah said as she dumped the rest of her cone into the trash.

“I could’ve eaten that,” Ron complained. Harry ignored him.

“Ron reckons Malfoy sent it to mess with me.”

“What makes you think that?” Hermione asked as she pulled Atreyu away from a barrel full of toads' eyes which he had been trying to poke when the owner of the shop wasn’t looking. 

“Well, house-elves are only really owned by rich old pureblood wizarding families. Malfoy’s one of them. And don’t tell me it's not something he’d do,” Ron said and Hannah nodded.

“Wouldn’t put it past him.” 

“I wish we had a house-elf,” Ron added as an afterthought. Hannah grimaced. 

“You can have mine,” she said and Ron stopped in the middle of the street to gape at her, causing the other four to stop around him.

“YOU have a house-elf?” Ron demanded and Hannah shrugged her shoulders and studied her feet. 

“In a manner of speaking.”

“Oh, come on, what the bloody hell does that mean?” 

Hannah sighed.

“Well, _technically_ , only I do. You guys know about, uh, Sirius. Technically being my other dad. Well, do you guys know about the Black family?” 

Harry and Hermione said no at the same time Ron said yes. Atreyu, who had gotten bored with their conversation the second he did not understand, had his face pressed to the window of Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop and was watching Fred, George, and Lee play with magical firecrackers. Hannah sighed again before explaining for Harry and Hermione’s sake. 

“The Black family is old. Like _really_ old. Like, four generations ago they moved from France to Britain but before that, they'd been around for centuries. And they’ve always been rich. The type of wizarding family that has house-elves. But they’ve also technically always been pureblood and very, _very_ old fashion. So, kind of gross.” 

Ron snickered and nodded his approval at the statement as Harry and Hermione still looked lost.

“And, it’s stupid, but house-elves in that family really go off blood. Like who’s kid is who’s. So the house elf that was around when my grandmother and grandfather died automatically went to Sirius and me since he was the heir and I’m his kid. But Dad and I don’t keep him around, trust me. He doesn’t really like us much and even though he has to do what I say it’s kind of sad to watch. We tried to set him free but he acts like you’re threatening his life when you offer him clothes…” 

“So where does he stay?” Hermione asked.

“In my grandmother and grandfather’s house. He doesn’t ever want to leave. Dad brings him food sometimes but last time he did he chased him with a knife so he's started to just have my aunt Andromeda take him stuff. He's at least civil with her.” 

Ron snickered. 

“Okay, maybe house-elves aren’t all that great.” 

The five of them set back down the street, Hermione questioning Hannah more about the house-elf as they walked. Soon they stood around a tiny junk shop full of broken wands, lopsided brass scales, and old cloaks covered in potion stains. Percy stood in the middle of it all, deeply immersed in a terribly boring book called ‘Prefects Who Gained Power’. 

_“A study of Hogwarts prefects and their later careers,”_ Ron read aloud off the back cover. “That sounds _fascinating_ …”

“Go away,” Percy snapped as Hannah, Harry, and Hermione giggled. Atreyu picked up a broken wand and waved it around.

“‘Course, he’s very ambitious, Percy, he’s got it all planned out... Wants to be the Minister of Magic.” Ron told the others in an undertone as they left Percy to it. Hannah laughed.

“He’ll have to fight Moony for it,” she said and Hermione rolled her eyes as she dragged Atreyu away from the shop. 

An hour later, they were headed for Flourish and Blotts. They were by far no means the only ones making their way to the bookshop. As they approached it, they saw to their surprise a large crowd jostling outside the doors, trying to get in. The reason why became apparent when they stepped up to the shop and read the large banner that was stretched across the upper window. 

GILDEROY LOCKHART

will be signing copies of his autobiography 

_MAGICAL ME_

today at 12:30 p.m to 4:30 p.m 

“We can actually meet him!” Hermione squealed. “I mean, he’s written almost the whole booklist!”

“Oh, _joy,_ ” Ron mumbled sarcastically under his breath. 

The crowd seemed to be made up mostly of witches around Mrs. Weasley’s age. A harassed looking wizard stood at the door trying to organize the mass of people headed towards him.

“Calmy, please, ladies... Don’t push, there… mind the books, now…” 

Remus, Mr. Weasley, and the Grangers met them at the door to get in as well. Mr. Weasley was still talking very fast about parking meters but the Grangers didn’t seem to mind, in fact, they were looking at Mr. Weasley rather fondly as they stepped over the threshold of the shop. 

“Gonna say hi to your old friend?” Hannah asked her father as she, Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Atreyu all stepped into the shop as well. Remus chuckled. 

“I think I’ll hang back around the books. I’ll get yours while I’m at it, here, give me that,” Remus said as he took the copy of Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 that Hannah had just picked up. She smiled and said a short goodbye to him before leading her friends over to the line where Mrs. Weasley was already standing. They ignored the grumbles of the witches and wizards from inside the line as they skipped past them. 

“Oh, there you are, good,” Mrs. Weasley said. She sounded breathless and kept patting her hair. “We’ll be able to see him in a minute.” 

Gilderoy Lockhart came slowly into view, seated at a table surrounded by large pictures of his own face, all winking and flashing dazzlingly white teeth at the crowd. The real Lockhart was wearing robes of forget-me-not blue that exactly matched his eyes; his pointed wizard’s hat was set at a jaunty angle on his wavy hair. 

Hannah raised her eyebrows at his appearance as Hermione gasped. 

“He’s hot,” Hannah stated shamelessly and Harry giggled while Ron made a disgusted choking sound. 

“Is he some sort of model or something?” Atreyu asked Hermione.

“No, no, he wrote all those books about things he’s done. Adventures he’s gone on and the monsters he’s conquered,” Hermione said breathlessly as she looked at Lockhart with wide eyes. 

“Right…” Atreyu said as he looked over at Lockhart’s perfectly pressed robes, flawless manicure, and set curls without a single flyaway. “Looks like the type.” 

“Just because he takes care of himself doesn’t mean he didn’t do all the things he wrote about,” Hermione snapped at her cousin.

“Well, yeah,” Ron started. “But there’s the usual wear-and-tear of a job like that. Shouldn’t he have a couple of scars or _something_ …”

Hermione’s rebuttal was interrupted by a short, irritable-looking man who was dancing around taking photographs with a large black camera that emitted puffs of purples smoke with every blinding flash. 

“Out of the way, there,” he snarled at Ron, moving back to get a better shot. “This is for the Daily Prophet…” 

“Big deal,” Ron said as he rubbed his foot from where the photographer had stepped on it. 

Gilderoy Lockhart heard him. He looked up. He saw Ron… and then he saw Harry. He stared. Then he leaped to his feet and positively shouted, “It _can’t_ be Harry Potter!” 

The crowd parted, whispering excitedly. Harry’s friends glanced over at him to see a look of pure terror etched on his face as Lockhart dived forward across the table and seized Harry’s arm, pulling him to the front. The crowd burst into applause and Harry’s face burned red hot as Lockhart shook his hand for the photographer who was clicking away madly, wafting thick smoke over the Weasleys, Hannah, Hermione, and Atreyu. 

“Nice big smile, Harry,” Lockhart said through his own gleaming teeth. “Together, you and I are worth the front page.” 

When he finally let go of Harry’s hand, Harry could hardly feel his fingers. He tried to slide back over to the Weasleys and his friends, but Lockhart threw an arm around his shoulders and clamped him tightly to his side. Over by the tall bookshelves, Remus watched the interaction with mingled anger and secondhand embarrassment. He started over towards him when he got a good look at the absolute misery on Harry’s face. 

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Lockhart said loudly, waving for quiet. “What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I’ve been sitting on for some time.” 

Remus pushed past a man with pale blonde hair who snarled at him and stepped up towards Mrs. Weasley and his daughter. Lockhart saw him and his voice faltered slightly as he recognized him. Remus raised his eyebrows at Lockhart but he kept his composure and ignored him.

“When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography… which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge…”

The crowd applauded again. 

“He had no idea,” Lockhart continued, giving Harry a little shake that made his glasses slip to the end of his nose. Harry scowled as he pushed them back up. “That he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!” 

Hannah and Ron gaped while Hermione squealed and clapped with the rest of the crowd. Harry was being presented with the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart and the photographer was still snapping pictures of him as he staggered slightly under the weight. Remus reached forward and took the books from Harry, placing them all on one arm as he wrapped the other around him and steered him towards the edge of the room where Ginny was standing next to her new cauldron. 

“Remus!” Lockhart called out fakely. “Good to see you!” 

“Yes, yes,” Remus mumbled as he moved away. Once they reached Ginny, Harry grabbed the books back from Remus and dumped them in her cauldron. 

“You have these. I’ll buy my own-” 

“Bet you loved that, didn’t you, Potter?” said a voice Harry had no trouble recognizing. He straightened up and found himself face to face with Draco Malfoy, who was wearing his usual sneer. Remus raised his eyebrows at the boy as Hannah saw Draco approach Harry and pushed her way through the crowd to help him.

“Famous Harry _Potter_. Can’t even go into a _bookshop_ without making the front page.” 

“Leave him alone, he didn’t want all that!” Ginny said. It was the first time she’d spoken in front of Harry and she was glaring daggers at Draco.

“Look, Potter, you’ve got yourself a _girlfriend_!” Draco sneered and Ginny went scarlet as Hannah reached the scene and Remus cleared his throat. 

“Is there anything else you have to say? Or shall you be off?” Remus asked Draco politely and Hannah stepped forward as she saw Draco’s eyes move across Remus, taking in his scars and shabby clothes. Draco’s mouth twisted into a grin as he saw Hannah’s movement. 

“This must be daddy, then,” he sneered and Hannah started forward but Remus placed a hand on her shoulder to hold her back. At that moment, Ron, Hermione, and Atreyu all stepped over, Ron and Hermione both clutching stacks of Lockhart’s books. 

“Oh, it’s you,” Ron said, looking at Draco as if he were something unpleasant on the sole of his shoe. “Bet you’re surprised to see Harry here, eh?” 

“Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley,” Draco retorted. “I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all of those.” 

Remus scoffed, shocked at how rude the boy was being as he kept a firm grip on his daughter’s shoulder to keep her from running at him. Ron went as red as Ginny and dropped his books into her cauldron before starting toward Draco just as Hannah had done but Harry and Hermione grabbed the back of his jacket. 

“Ron!” Mr. Weasley said as he struggled over with Fred and George. “What are you doing? It’s too crowded in here, let’s go outside.”

“Well, well, well… Arthur Weasley.” 

Lucius Malfoy had appeared from the back of the shop and he now stood with one hand on Draco’s shoulder, sneering in just the same way. Remus stiffened at his presence and his hand moved from Hannah’s shoulder so he could wrap his whole arm around her and bring her closer to him. Hannah frowned at her father.

“Lucius,” Mr. Weasley replied, nodding coldly. 

“Busy time at the ministry, I hear. All those raids… I do hope they're paying you overtime?”

He reached into Ginny’s cauldron and extracted a very old, very battered copy of A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration.

“Obviously not,” Lucius said. “Dear me, what’s the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don’t even pay you well for it?”

Mr. Weasley flushed darker than either Ron or Ginny.

“We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy,” he said. 

“Cleary,” Lucius said, his pale eyes straying to Jean and Augustus Granger before stopping on Remus. They flickered with recognition and Remus flashed him a cold smile. Lucius sneered. “The company you keep, Weasley… and I thought your family could sink no lower-”

There was a thud of metal as Ginny’s cauldron went flying. Mr. Weasley had thrown himself at Lucius, knocking him backward into a bookshelf. Dozens of heavy spellbooks came thundering down on all their heads: there was a yell of “Get him, Dad!” from Fred or George; Mrs. Weasley was shrieking, “No, Arthur, no!”; Remus was attempting to pull Ron off of Draco while keeping Hannah at bay, as Ron had seized his opportunity to once again punch Draco directly in the eye. The crowd stampeded backward, knocking more shelves over.

“Gentlemen, please, please!” cried the assistant, and then, louder than all-

“Break it up there, gents, break it up-”

Hagrid was wading toward them through a sea of fallen books. In an instant, he had pulled Mr. Weasley and Lucius apart. Mr. Weasley had a cut lip and Lucius had been hit in the eye by an Encyclopedia of Toadstools. He was still holding Ginny’s transfiguration book and he thrust it at her, his eyes glittering with malice. 

“Here, girl… take your book… it’s the best your father can give you-” Pulling himself out of Hagrid’s grip he yanked Draco off the floor by the neck of his robes and swept them both from the shop as Draco struggled to regain his footing. Remus watched the picture with a frown as he kept both hands around Ron and Hannah. He remembered seeing Sirius grabbed like that after his father had caught him talking to James on the platform and it made him sick to his stomach to think about what still went on in pureblood families. 

No one else seemed to notice. 

“Yeh should’ve ignored him, Arthur,” Hagrid said to Mr. Weasley as he almost lifted him off his feet while trying to straighten his robes for him. “Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everyone knows that… no Malfoy’s worth listenin’ ter… bad blood, that’s what it is… come on now… let’s get outta here.”

The assistant looked as though he wanted to stop them from leaving but he barely came up to Hagrid's waist and seemed to think better of it. They hurried up the street, the Grangers shaking with fright, Remus talking them down and ignoring Ron’s thanks for not telling his parents about him punching Draco, and Mrs. Weasley beside herself with fury.

“A _fine_ example to set for your children… _brawling_ in public… _what_ Gilderoy Lockhart must’ve thought…” 

“He was pleased,” Fred said. “Didn’t you hear him as we were leaving? He was asking that bloke from the Daily Prophet if he’d be able to work the fight into his report. Said it was all publicity.” 

Mrs. Weasley ignored him and went back to fussing at her husband. 

“Does stuff like that happen a lot around here?” Atreyu asked curiously as they walked up the street. Harry and Ron laughed as Hannah smirked at him. 

“Oh, yeah, all the time,” Hannah said sarcastically and Atreyu grinned at her. “Watch, right now,” Hannah said before jumping up on Ron and putting him in a headlock, laughing as he struggled his way out. 

The group made their way towards the Leaky Cauldron, where the Grangers would be taking the muggle street home. Hannah said a short goodbye to Hermione as she’d see her the next day and gave Atreyu a hug before he left, telling him it had been nice to meet him. He said the same and the Grangers left, leaving the rest of the group to walk over to the floo entrance. Hannah and Remus went home first, Hannah grinning and wishing Harry good luck as she stepped into the green fire by her father and disappeared. 

The Weasleys and Harry all went next, Ron staying with Harry to help him through. 

**

The next morning Hannah showered, dressed, and packed a bag for the Weasleys, as they’d offered for her to stay an extra week after her party and sleep in Ginny’s room. Normally Hannah would’ve been uncomfortable sharing a room with someone she hardly knew, but Hermione was going to be staying a week too and would be sharing the room as well. Remus had been almost relieved when they’d asked to take Hannah for the week, as he’d be having his full moon that Saturday. The Weasleys didn’t know how helpful they were being, of course, but Remus was still thankful for the offer and allowed Hannah to go.

They ate breakfast together and Hannah fed Gizmo bits of sausage off her plate. After that, they loaded up one of Remus’ bookbags with food and presents, all of it fitting with room to spare as he’d placed an undetectable extension charm on the inside of the bag. They got into the grate together, Remus wearing his bag and Hannah wearing hers with Gizmo happy in her hand, and spun off to the Burrow. 

They landed in the living room a few moments later and were greeted immediately by Mrs. Weasley, who helped Remus with his bag and got Ron and Harry to show Hannah Ginny’s room so she could put her things away. Hannah introduced Ron and Harry to Gizmo and both of them found the puffskein adorable. 

Andromeda, Ted, and Dora all arrived shortly after with more food for the table Mrs. Weasley had set up outside. They got acquainted with everyone relatively fast, Andromeda and Mrs. Weasley hit it off immediately after finding out they used the same recipe for chocolate cake. Minerva came an hour later, which was odd for everyone except the Tonks and the Lupins. Hermione and her parents came in their car after Minerva, Hermione informing them all that Atreyu had gone back home with her Aunt and Uncle. Then Neville arrived at the doorstep after what seemed like an unpleasant side-along apparition. Mrs. Longbottom was a severe-looking woman but turned out to be nice enough, wishing both Hannah and Harry a happy belated birthday before going over to talk to Remus. 

Harry, Hannah, Fred, George, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Neville all played a game of quidditch while they waited on the food to be set out, splitting the teams into Harry, Fred, George, and Hermione and Hannah, Ron, Ginny, and Neville. They played for a while, finding they were relatively evenly matched that way since Hermione and Neville both preferred hovering inches above the ground and ducking the balls when they swooped past their heads. Ginny had just scored a spectacular goal on Ron’s keeping when Mrs. Weasley called out for them to come back down and eat. 

It was the best birthday both Hannah and Harry had ever had, hands down. Everyone laughed and got along and Hannah found that she did not miss Lyall as much as she thought she would have when she saw Remus’ face light and happy while he talked to the Grangers and Mrs. Longbottom instead of moody and forcing a smile for her sake, while Harry just enjoyed how light and fun the energy was, instead of his previous birthday's of being ignored by the Dursleys or having his door kicked down to be told he was a wizard.

Dora entertained Hannah, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Neville, and Ginny by changing her appearance to mock different people at the table. She did Remus’ frown then her father’s nose, causing them all to snort into their food at the mixture of the two. Hannah let Gizmo run around on the table and take bits of food off everyone’s plates once the majority of people were done eating. 

“It really is cute, Hannah,” Hermione said with a smile as Gizmo stole a bit of cake from Mrs. Longbottom. 

“Yeah,” Ron said enviously. “I wish I had a pet that cute.”

“Where is Scabbers, by the way?” Hannah asked as she looked over at Ron’s pocket where the fat rat normally slept and found that it was empty.

“Dunno,” Ron answered. “He’s been hiding since you and your dad got here, I can’t find him.” 

“Guess he’s afraid of all the people,” Harry suggested and Hannah frowned.

“He’s normally okay about that sort of thing, I thought,” she said. 

“Who knows,” Ron shrugged. “Could just be getting old.” 

“Yeah, maybe.” 

After everyone finished eating, Hannah and Harry got to open presents. Hannah normally had a good fewer people watching her do this task but she found she didn’t mind it as much as she got to share whatever she opened with Harry as soon as she got it. Harry, however, was a bit of a nervous wreck opening all his presents in front of everyone else, saying far too many thank-yous and depending on Hannah to carry the conversation. But after opening a messily wrapped firecracker from Fred and George, the pile of presents had widdled down to one long parcel with Hannah's name on it. Harry picked it up, handing it to her happily, thinking quietly to himself how relieved he was to be out of the center of attention while Hannah ripped into the wrappings and gasped as a long broomstick fell into her lap.

“That’s a Nimbus 2001!” Ron shouted as Hannah picked up the broom and felt it, finding herself speechless for the first time in a while. The broom was all black and sleek-looking, with twisting cursive letters engraved in the handle spelling out ‘Nimbus 2001’. 

“Great Godric,” Hannah mumbled under her breath.

“Do you like it?” Remus asked with a smile and Hannah looked up at him and nodded very fast.

“Yes, oh my, it’s perfect!” she exclaimed as she felt every inch of it.

“Now, it’s only because you’re making the team this year and your current broom is almost as old as you are. Don’t expect a new one every birthday,” Remus tried to say but Hannah did not seem to be listening. 

“Yea, okay, thank you so much, daddy, I love it!” Hannah said and without another word she got up out of her seat and flung herself over the broom, flying over the trees and back to the makeshift quidditch pitch out in the Weasley’s yard as the other kids ran underneath her. They all took turns riding it around except for Neville, who was worried he’d break it. 

The adults sat back and talked for a while more since all of the presents had been opened. Remus thanked the Weasleys for letting them have their party there but they brushed it off, saying that he and Hannah were welcome any time just as George zoomed past the table and sent the cloth and plates of food flying, causing Mrs. Weasley to go into another rage.

“YOU WILL CLEAN ALL OF THIS UP… I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT-” 

George was supposed to fix it all himself but the others came and helped him with it all, cleaning dishes and throwing away wrapping paper. They found they got it done well and relatively fast together and soon they were walking back to the pitch to take turns on the new broom again. Hannah nudged Harry as Ron did several loop-de-loops on her broom and smiled when he looked over and asked her what was up. Hannah pulled a small wrapped package out of her pocket and handed it to him.

“Happy belated. I didn’t send my present on your actual birthday because I was afraid it would get lost with whatever was stopping you from writing back,” Hannah said as Harry smiled and looked over the package. “And I figured you’d enjoy it more if you weren't opening it in front of everyone. I know you don’t like people all around you like that.”

Harry smiled again at his friend.

“Too right you are,” he said as he slipped his fingers through the wrappings of the package and opened it. He revealed a small box which when opened held a miniature Darth Vader action figure, complete with a glowing lightsaber. 

“Woah,” Harry said as he held it up and examined every angle. He’d never gotten toys from the Dursleys and when he was bored he'd just play pretend. Now he had one of his own!

“Do you like it?” Hannah asked and Harry beamed at her before giving her a tight hug. Hannah smiled and patted him on the back and Harry released her, face burning as he cleared his throat. 

“It’s awesome. Thank you,” he said in what he thought was a more dignified way. Hannah just giggled. 

“You’re welcome.” 

Neville and Mrs. Longbottom were the first to leave and Neville was smothered in hugs and goodbyes from the Weasleys, Hannah, and Hermione as they all wished him well and said they’d see him at school. The Tonks left after that and then Minerva, all four of them saying goodbye to the kids and adults. Augustus and Jean said goodbye to Hermione and everyone else before getting in their car and driving home, and Remus floo’d his way home a few minutes later after saying his goodbyes as well.

Mrs. Weasley led Hannah and Hermione up to Ginny’s room where she’d laid out two sleeping bags for each of the girls. They all talked happily as they got in their bags and settled in for sleep, but none of them were tired in the slightest. They talked about school and how excited they were to go back, Hannah and Hermione commenting on how handsome Lockhart was. But Ginny wasn’t too interested in that so they just answered her questions on how things went around Hogwarts, snorting when she told them that Fred, George, and Ron had complained about how hard it was. 

“Ron hardly did any of his own work, it was all Hermione, he’s got no reason to complain,” Hannah said as she laid out on her back and played with Gizmo who was sleeping peacefully on her stomach. 

“He did some himself,” Hermione said. “But he didn’t really struggle until exams came around and I told him he needed to do more on his own but did he listen to me-”

Hermione ranted for a while until the room got quiet and Ginny cleared her throat.

“So…” she said nervously. “What’s Harry like?” 

Hannah and Hermione exchanged a look in the dark and Hannah sat up on her elbows to look over at Ginny. 

“Harry?”

“Yeah.”

Ginny sounded nervous and already like she regretted her question so the other two girls took pity on her. 

“He’s a bit of a dork actually,” Hermione said with a smirk. “Why do you ask?” 

“Oh… you know…” Ginny said. “He’s just... he’s kind of cute. Isn’t he?” 

Hermione bit her lip to stop herself from smiling. 

“Yes, I suppose so,” she said casually. “Hannah? What do you think?” 

Hannah was scowling to herself in the dark as she stroked Gizmo’s back. 

“Mm. He’s not bad,” she said simply and Ginny and Hermione launched into a conversation about Harry as Hannah remained silent. She felt angry for some reason, and she couldn’t exactly put her finger on why. Hannah liked Ginny a lot, but she guessed she just felt weird that Ginny wanted to talk about how cute Harry was. Not that Hannah didn’t think Harry _was_ cute, he was, she just didn’t think about it all the time and it felt weird to say it out loud. But she supposed other people were allowed to find him cute… right? So why was she mad that someone had said it?

“Are you alright, Hannah?” Hermione asked after her friend was silent for more than she thought possible. 

“Oh yeah, just tired,” Hannah answered and Hermione and Ginny agreed with her and quieted down so they could all sleep. Unfortunately, this left Hannah to her previous thoughts about Harry. Harry was Hannah’s friend, maybe it was natural for her to feel this way about someone calling him cute. Though Hermione didn’t seem bothered by it… in fact, she’d even encouraged Ginny to go on. Hannah thought for a second if she’d feel this way if someone called Ron cute. Ron was relatively good-looking, Hannah supposed. He wasn’t _ugly_ but Hannah had literally never thought about it before. He was just _Ron._ After thinking about it for a while, Hannah supposed that it was just because of who Harry was that she felt uncomfortable. She was supposed to have grown up with him and should’ve already known him better than she knew him now. She guessed it was just because of that that she didn’t want to talk about his looks… right? No, that was right. It was just because it was Harry, and that was perfectly normal. 

The next morning, Hannah and Hermione woke up before Ginny, and after getting ready they set up towards Ron’s room to fling open the door and jump on their beds. Harry was in a sleeping bag though, so Hannah just zipped it around his head and made him jump up while Hermione bounced on Ron’s bed and ignored his protests. Hannah laughed as she unzipped the sleeping bag from Harry’s head and he yelled at her about that being ‘the worst possible way to wake someone up’. He was still in a good mood though, and after a trip to the bathroom, the four friends had a perfect day. They played quidditch out by the pitch and Hannah used her record player that she’d stuffed into her bag to play music while they flew around. 

_‘In the town where I was born_

_Lived a man who sailed to sea_

_And he told us of his life_

_In the land of submarines’_

They split into teams of three, Hermione happily sitting out to read a book by the record player while the others played. Hannah, Fred, and George went on one team while Harry, Ron, and Ginny went on the other. They were again reasonably matched even though every time Harry spoke to Ginny or asked her to pass the ball she’d go scarlet and drop the ball no matter where she was. 

_‘We all live in a yellow submarine_

_Yellow submarine, yellow submarine_

_We all live in a yellow submarine_

_Yellow submarine, yellow submarine’_

The week passed just like that, playing quidditch until they were all sunburnt and starving and then going inside to enjoy Mrs. Weasley’s cooking. Hermione had kept the map over the summer, and the four marauders spent a few nights watching the teachers move around on it just out of pure boredom. But sooner than anyone wanted, Hermione and Hannah were back in their own homes and even though Hannah had stayed up the night of the full moon like she always did, Remus was perfectly healthy and happy to see her.

The rest of the summer passed between the two of them like normal, Remus going to work and Hannah hanging around the house with Gizmo. Fortunately, his full moon had passed and Remus got to spend most of his time with his daughter, something they both enjoyed. But once again too soon, Hannah was packing her trunk to head back to Hogwarts. 

The morning of, they loaded everything into their car and set off, Gizmo snoozing in Hannah’s pocket. They drove and let the radio play, talking over it occasionally as they tapped their feet to whatever beat was playing. But after a few minutes of carefree time spent, Remus turned off the radio. Hannah looked over at him curiously. 

“What’s wrong?”

Remus smiled sadly at his daughter. 

“There’s something we should talk about before you go to school this year. It’s not a big deal, you’re not in trouble,” Remus added at the look on Hannah’s face when her mind immediately jumped to all she’d done the previous year. “I just need to tell you about something… something I wished someone had told me about when I was at school.”

“What is it?” Hannah asked and Remus forced a smile.

“When you go back to school this year, you won’t be taken up in the boats. You’ll be loaded into carriages that will pull you up to the school. I’m pretty sure you’ve already been in them a couple of times before and after the holidays?” 

Hannah nodded. 

“Well, you should know, those carriages are actually pulled by thestrals. And of course, you know all about thestrals. You’ll be able to see them because of... what happened with your grandfather. And I just want you to be prepared. They’re very sweet creatures, thestrals, and though they might look a little scary, they’re perfectly safe.”

Hannah’s face had gone pale but she nodded again. 

“Are you alright?” Remus asked her, concerned at her silence.

“Oh, yes. I’m okay. That’s just weird,” Hannah said and Remus smiled at her before speaking again.

“One more thing.”

“What is it?” 

“The Malfoy boy,” Remus said and Hannah raised an eyebrow at him. “The one that we met in the bookshop?”

“Yeah?”

“I want you to try and be a bit nicer to him.” 

_“What?_ Did you not hear all he said-”

“I heard him perfectly fine. But I want you to be the bigger person and be a bit nicer.”

“But daddy, why?” Hannah complained. Remus sighed.

“Because I think his… _attitude_ … may not be his choice.” 

Hannah frowned and sat back in her seat but promised to try her hardest at being a bit nicer to Draco.

They pulled up to the platform an hour later, unloading Hannah's broom, trunk, and Ziggy and putting them on a cart to wheel towards the barrier while Gizmo stayed safe in Hannah's pocket. They spotted Hermione and her family waiting around the entrance and let Hermione say goodbye to her parents before helping her through the barrier. They turned up on the other side and waited around for the Weasleys, Hannah occasionally running over to hug someone she recognized.

"They must be running late," Remus said to the girls as he checked his watch and noted the train was to leave in only ten minutes. They loaded their trunks into a compartment that Neville already occupied and then waited around at the platform while everyone else loaded up. Five minutes to departure, the familiar heads of flaming red hair appeared through the barrier and ran up to the train to load their things, Ginny's face streaked with tears from the worry of missing the train on her first day. Once they were all on the train the whistle blew and it started to move. Hannah stuck her head out of the window and looked down at the parents below her.

"Where are Ron and Harry?" she shouted as the train picked up momentum. The parents exchanged a look and ran alongside the train.

"No worries! We'll bring them in the car!" Mr. Weasley shouted. Hannah remained worried.

"They'll get there!" Remus shouted. The train was picking up speed. "Be good! I love you!"

"I love you too!" Hannah shouted back and finally, their compartment moved past the platform and Remus and the Weasleys disappeared from sight. She sat back in her seat and looked around at Fred, George, Ginny, Hermione, and Neville. 

"Well?" George asked.

"They didn't come out of the barrier so your mum and dad are taking them in the car," Hannah said and Fred and George groaned. 

"I've always wanted to take the car! Bet they're even gonna fly it!" Fred complained. 

Back at the station, Remus, Mr. Weasley, and Mrs. Weasley ran off of the platform and through the barrier, looking for Harry and Ron. They called their names but met no answer and ended up running back towards their cars out of instinct. They stopped to stare at the empty parking space and Remus pointed up to the sky, where they could just see the bumper of their baby blue Ford Angela disappear behind the clouds. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Yellow Submarine by The Beatles  
> A/N: I am aware that Lucius' abuse of Draco is a movie thing and is not technically canon, but I am interpreting his character differently in this work to make him more deserving of redemption.


	17. Puttin' On The Ritz - Year Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the Chamber of Secrets

The bumper of the car flickered and faded a little as it retreated into the clouds and Remus could see the outline of Harry’s messy head moving forward like he was pressing something on the dashboard of the car. The car finally went so far into the clouds that no one could see it if it was invisible or not and Remus looked over at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to find them staring with open mouths at the sky. 

“Did you see that?” Remus heard distantly from a small girl holding onto her mother's hand. “Mummy, did you see that car? It was flying!”

“Yes, that’s wonderful, dear,” the mother replied in a bored voice. Remus looked back at the Weasleys to see them still staring up at the sky and he rushed over to them, shaking them by the shoulders and pulling them over to his car.

“Stop looking, stop looking. Some muggles saw,” Remus said in a panicked voice. Arthur’s head snapped back to look at him.

“Muggles saw? Where?” he asked urgently. 

“Just a little girl… heard her telling her mother about it… she still saw it though so that means other people might have too-” 

“Oh, I am going to _kill_ that boy,” Mrs. Weasley said angrily as she looked up at the sky. Arthur looked pale and worried but he took a deep breath and wrapped his arm around his wife. 

“We’ll need to write to Dumbledore. Tell him those two will be arriving by _car.”_ Arthur said, dragging out the syllables of the last word sarcastically. “We’ll apparate home, then. Remus are you alright?” 

Remus was staring up at the clouds with an unreadable expression. He was trying very hard to be worried and not to find the situation extremely amusing which, of course, he did. The thought of what James would say if he found out that his son had flown to Hogwarts in a _car_ … the possibilities were endless. He’d be overjoyed, to say the least. 

“Huh?” Remus said, looking over at the Weasleys like he was surprised they were still there. “Oh, yes. I’m fine. Write to me after you hear back from Dumbledore.”

The Weasleys smiled and assured him they’d let him know before saying their goodbyes. Mrs. Weasley wrapped Remus in a tight hug, patting his back in a motherly fashion and when she pulled away, Mr. Weasley shook his hand. 

“You must come over for dinner sometime,” Mr. Weasley said and Remus smiled back and told him he would before saying goodbye again and walking away. 

“You write to us if you need anything, dear!” Mrs. Wealsey shouted at Remus’ retreating back. He turned for a second and smiled, waving again for reassurance before climbing into his car and pulling out of the parking lot. As soon as he hit the road and drove out of sight from the Weasleys, Remus burst out laughing. 

“A _car_ … oh, merlin… a _FLYING_ car…” Remus said to himself as he giggled. “Oh, I think he’s got you beat, Jamie… a car..” he shook his head in disbelief and kept driving down the road, turning on the radio but still laughing over the music every now and then when he remembered what Harry was probably doing right now. 

In the parking lot, Mrs. Wealsey turned to her husband. 

“Do you think he seemed alright? Looked rather upset about something.”

“I suppose it just gets to him sometimes. Being around Harry,” Mr. Weasley said with a frown. 

“Oh, I do hope he’s okay. Write to him when we get home and let’s invite him to dinner tomorrow,” Mrs. Weasley said in a worried voice and Mr. Weasley sighed.

“He’s an adult, Molly. Let’s let the man breathe. Now, we should be dealing with our son. There’s definitely not enough gas in that car to get them all the way to Hogwarts and the school will be needing a heads up about that.”

Mrs. Weasley couldn’t argue with that, so she sighed and turned away with her husband to walk down an alleyway so both of them could apparate away from the eyes of muggles. 

Up in the clouds, Harry and Ron were rather pleased with themselves. The invisibility booster had gone bad, but they decided to stay up above the clouds and check on the train every thirty minutes or so to make sure they were still headed in the right direction. They were up above the clouds, and it was a completely different world. Sunlight touched every surface of the car and the boys, warming them up immediately and putting them in happy moods. The wheels of the car skimmed the sea of fluffy clouds underneath them and the sky was a perfect baby blue. The sun was blinding but Harry found two pairs of sunglasses in the glove compartment, courtesy of Mr. Weasley, and the boys pushed them up on their faces to shield their eyes from the sun, Harry setting his right below his glasses so he could still see. 

Ron looked over at Harry and grinned, creating a funny picture with his dark black sunglasses and lopsided smile.

“Now all we’ve got to worry about is airplanes,” Ron said cheekily and the two boys exchanged a look before busting out laughing for a long time; they seemed almost unable to stop. It was as though they had been plunged into a fabulous dream. This, Harry thought, must be the only way to travel. Soaring over swirls and turrets of fluffy white clouds in a car full of summer heat. There was a fat pack of toffees in the glove compartment as well and they both ate their way through them happily, laughing at the prospect of Fred, George, and Hannah’s jealous faces when they landed smoothly and spectacularly on the sweeping lawn in front of their school. 

After the comedy wore off, Harry turned to the radio for some music to entertain them. Most of the channels were static but Harry, determined, took out his wand and tapped it on the radio, ignoring Ron’s snorts and hoping it would work. The radio fizzled into a tune after a few taps and Harry stuck his tongue out at Ron, who punched him in the arm. 

_‘If you're blue and you don't know where to go to_

_Why don't you go where fashion sits_

_Puttin' on the Ritz’_

“I love this song!” Harry laughed and Ron smirked at him. 

“What is this? I’ve never heard it before,” he asked and Harry scoffed at him.

“How have you never heard this? It’s like, THE song.”

“Because I’m like, NOT muggleborn,” Ron said and Harry rolled his eyes. 

“That’s no excuse! I’m sure Hannah’s played it for us before,” Harry said and Ron frowned, listening to the lyrics and tune again. 

_‘Different types of wear all day coat pants_

_With stripes and cutaway coats for perfect fits_

_Puttin' on the Ritz’_

Ron grinned. 

“Maybe I’ve heard it once or twice.”

“Exactly.” 

_‘Dressed up like a million-dollar trooper_

_Trying hard to look like Gary Cooper_

_Super-duper’_

Harry and Ron sang along to the song and nodded their heads to the beat, sunglasses slipping off and having to be pushed back up the end of their noses every few seconds. They laughed at each other and kept singing as Ron drove, his steering becoming more and more hazardous as he got into the song.

_‘Come let's mix where Rockefellers_

_Walk with sticks or umbrellas in their mits_

_Puttin' on the Ritz’_

The song replayed after it ended and Harry frowned, wondering what kind of station played the same song over again. The station did not answer his unasked question though and kept playing it a few more times. The boys sang along to it for the first few replays but quickly got bored of the tune and the singing. They slumped back in their seats as the song played again and the novelty of it all wore off. They checked on the train below them every now and then, but the toffees had made them extremely thirsty and they had nothing to drink. Harry and Ron pulled off their sweaters but their t-shirts still stuck to their skin with sweat no matter how many times they pulled on them to air off. Their glasses slipped down their noses repeatedly as they grew sweatier and it happened so many times that Ron threw his pair back in the compartment angrily. Harry raised an eyebrow at him but Ron ignored him and turned to the radio that was still playing the same song.

“Sorry, but I can’t hear another second of this,” Ron said as he pushed the off button. Nothing happened, the song kept playing. “Er… poke it with your wand again?” Ron asked Harry and he obliged but to no response from the radio as it kept playing the song on a loop. 

“Great…” Harry croaked, dehydrated and now hating the song. He thought longingly of the train miles below, where you could buy ice-cold pumpkin juice from the trolley witch. _Why_ hadn’t they been able to get on platform nine and three-quarters? 

In the train below them, Hannah, Hermione, Neville, Fred, George, and Ginny were all sharing a compartment. They’d talked for a while about Harry and Ron and how they’d be getting to school before the topic grew old and Fred and George had suggested a game of exploding snap. Now, singed slightly around the edges, the small group sat back in their chairs and ate their treats from the trolley while talking about the school year to come. 

“Well I for one think Professor Lockhart’s going to be a great teacher,” Hermione continued in response to Fred’s teasing. “I mean, look at all he’s done! You’re not excited to learn from someone that’s accomplished that much?”

“I think he applied for the job just to talk more about himself,” Hannah said with a smirk as Hermione huffed. 

“He does seem a little full of it, don’t you think?” said Ginny, who was much more relaxed than she would've been if Harry had joined them in the compartment. 

“You haven’t even had a class with him yet! I bet you anything he’s really down to earth,” Hermione snapped.

“You know what, Hermy, I’ll take that bet,” Fred said with a grin. 

“Don’t call me _Hermy,_ ” Hermione puffed. Fred ignored her. 

“I bet you one galleon he says his own name ten times his first day teaching,” Fred said and Hermione huffed slightly, aware she would probably lose this bet but too stubborn to back down. 

“But we won’t even have the same class together, how will I know you’re telling the truth if he has your class first?” Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow. Fred and George exchanged a look. 

“George will keep count and tell you,” Fred said, looking back at Hermione. 

“How will I know he’s telling the truth?” she asked and George mock-gasped, pressing a hand to his chest.

“I’m wounded, Hermy. You don’t trust me?” George said.

“Don’t call me that,” Hermione hissed. “And no. Not particularly.” 

Fred and George exchanged another look, this time a familiar mischievous grin appearing on their identical faces. 

“Well I guess if you don’t trust us…” Fred said dramatically. 

“We’ll just have to make an unbreakable vow,” smirked George. The effect of his words was instant; Hannah jumped in her seat like she’d been shocked, Neville made an odd noise between a hiccup and a scream, Ginny scoffed, and Hermione gasped and pressed a hand to her mouth, all while Fred and George grinned.

“What are you, fucking mad?” Hannah spat. 

“What!” George said. “She doesn’t trust us, it’s the only way!” 

“So many other ways,” Neville groaned, pressing his forehead to the window of the compartment almost like he was trying to escape. 

“We are _not_ doing an unbreakable vow for a bet on a professor,” Hermione said. 

“Then what do you propose, all-wise one?” Fred asked and Hermione frowned. 

“Exactly,” Fred sneered. 

“Oh, please, can’t we just use the honor code?” Ginny said reasonably but Hermione still frowned.

“Ginny’s right. ‘Mione,” Hannah said. “I’ll count for you if we go first. It’s not like George and I are getting any money off this, I wouldn’t lie.” 

“Same here,” George said with a grin.

“Fine,” Hermione huffed. “But you have to tell the truth,” she said, making Fred and George snicker, and Hermione frown again.

“Come on, we’re all Gryffindors, let's be true and chivalrous,” Hannah said with a roll of her eyes. “And try not to act like fucking idiots proposing an unbreakable vow over a galleon.” 

“Oi!” Fred said. 

“It’s not like we were gonna _break_ it,” George said. Neville groaned again and knocked his head on the window just as Ginny reminded Hannah that she wasn’t in Gryffindor yet.

“You will be,” Hannah said reassuringly. “And if you’re not, it’s no big deal-”

“AH!” Neville yelled suddenly, jumping up in his seat and losing his grip on Trevor, who hopped onto the floor and was immediately followed by Gizmo. 

“What is it, Neville?” Hermione asked her friend, as Neville was looking up at the sky with a shocked expression. 

“I just saw a car,” Neville said breathlessly. “It came out of the clouds for a second and then went back up.”

“What kind of car?” George asked urgently.

“I don’t know cars,” Neville said and Fred rolled his eyes.

“What color, then?”

“Baby blue,” Neville said and everyone else exclaimed. 

“It’s them! I can’t believe they’re following the train this close,” Ginny said, standing up out of her seat to walk over to the window and peer up at the sky. 

“But that doesn’t make sense,” Hermione said. “Why would they take the car if they can apparate to Hogwarts gates?”

“Mr. Weasley said they’d bring them in the car,” Hannah reminded her. 

“Maybe that was his first thought but… it just doesn’t make sense to bring them in the car,” Hermione said. “And to follow the train that closely… it just doesn’t seem like something they’d do.” 

“You’ve got a point,” Fred said. They theorized for a while about what the Weasley’s parents were doing before Neville called out to them again, pointing up to the sky. 

“There it is, there it is!” he said urgently and everyone swarmed around the window. Sure enough, a baby blue Ford Angela was poking through the clouds and looking down on them. But there was only one head of flaming red hair in the car.

“That’s just Ron and Harry!” Ginny exclaimed. 

“Oh…” Hannah said with a grin. “They’re in so much trouble.” 

“Why would they take it themselves?” Hermione exclaimed.

“Mum and dad definitely wouldn’t have let them…” Fred said. “So that means they just took it!” 

He sounded delighted and maybe a little bit proud. 

“Those idiots!” George exclaimed, sharing Fred’s pride for his younger brother. “Mum’ll strangle them with her bare hands.”

“Not Harry,” Ginny reminded him. “Harry’s a saint, remember?” she said with a grin and George snorted. 

“Are they gonna make it all the way to Hogwarts in a car like that? Do they have enough gas, you think?” Neville asked the others nervously and they all grimaced and looked thoughtful as they sat back in their seats. 

“You guys drove all the way from the Burrow in that car?” Hannah asked the Weasleys in the compartment after Neville’s question went unanswered for a few seconds. Fred, George, and Ginny exchanged another look.

“Yeah,” Ginny said. “I think dad filled the tank before we left but still it won’t last them that long.”

“Merlin,” George sighed. “I’d be proud of Ron if he hadn’t gone and gotten himself killed.” 

“He’s not going to _die._ I’m sure your parents have noticed they’re gone by now and will have let the school know,” Hermione said, relaxing everyone in the compartment with her usual voice of reason. They all went back to laughing at how much trouble their friends were going to be and Hannah, George, Ginny, and Fred expressing their jealousy while Hermione and Neville silently thanked god they’d been on time. 

“Can’t be much farther, can it?” Ron croaked after a few more excruciating hours in the car. The sun had started to sink into their floor of cloud, staining it deep pink and setting Ron’s hair in a bright red against the white interior of the car. “You ready for another check?” 

Ron ducked the front of the car under the cloud to look at the train which, sure enough, was still right below him. Ron was about to pull back up into the cloud cover when Harry gave a shout and stopped him, pointing down at one of the windows of the train where Hannah and George had their faces pressed to their compartment window. They both gave a shriek of delight when they saw the car and soon everyone else surrounded them, looking up at Ron and Harry and yelling even though there was no possible way they’d hear. Harry and Ron laughed and waved, grinning wider when Hannah, Fred, and George all flipped them off and yelled, surely cursing them for not bringing them along. Harry and Ron went back up in the clouds after a few minutes of muted yelling and laughed amongst themselves, grinning at their friends' jealousy. 

They almost didn’t notice that when Ron put his foot on the accelerator to move the car back up, the engine gave a loud irritated whine. But the whine grew louder and grabbed their attention as Ron kept driving, cutting off their laughter as they exchanged a nervous glance. 

“It’s probably just tired,” Ron said. “It’s never been this far before…” 

And they both pretended not to notice the whining growing louder and louder as the sky became steadily darker. Stars were blossoming in the blackness and Harry pulled his sweater back on as he felt the temperature start to drop. Looking over at Ron, whose hands were still glued on the steering wheel but was shivering slightly, Harry turned to the back where Ron had thrown his sweater and put it around Ron’s shoulders so he didn’t have to take his hands off the wheel.

Ron snorted. 

“Thanks, mum,” he teased.

“Bugger off.” 

Slowly, the Hogwarts express pulled up to the station and the six other friends got off together, grouping up but shoving each other around as they bumped shoulders and stepped out into the cool night air. Ginny was called over by Hagrid and Fred gave her a push as she kept clinging to his arm nervously. She scowled at him and he smiled. Fred pushed his sister again and Ginny walked over to the small group of first years bunched together by Hagrid, who all were looking absolutely terrified. 

“Hi, Hagrid!” Hannah and Hermione called out to their large friend as they walked past him towards the carriages. 

“Hello, you two!” Hagrid said happily, smiling for a second before his face fell into a frown. “Where’s Ron an’ Harry?” 

Hannah and Hermione were being pushed along by the many students around and behind them, and could not stop to answer his question. 

“We’ll explain later!” Hannah yelled as they were shunted off towards the dirt path. They walked for a few minutes, Hannah’s heart beating faster than usual as she tried to calm herself down and laugh normally at Fred and George’s jokes. Hermione still noticed her friend’s awkwardness and knocked their hands together to get Hannah to look at her. Hannah looked over and Hermione frowned, asking her what was wrong without having to say a word. Hannah just faked a smile and shook her head, simply saying ‘not now’. 

They reached the carriages a few seconds later and Hannah caught her breath at the sight of what Remus had mentioned. Two black thestrals were tied to each carriage, huffing and stomping the ground as students boarded before taking off down the dirt road towards Hogwarts. Hannah held her breath and walked behind her friends as they headed to the nearest carriage, completely oblivious to the invisible horses. 

The horses stood at the front of the carriages, so Hannah could only see their back ends as they walked towards them. They were skinny and taunt, with black skin that looked leathery and worn wrapped tightly around their bones. In the back of her mind, Hannah knew that thestrals were gentle creatures and wouldn’t hurt her even if she hurt them but this did not register much as she determinedly looked right past them and almost flat out ran to the carriage to board before they could touch her. 

“Are you alright, Pads? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Hermione whispered where only Hannah could hear once everyone was in the carriage and it started to take off.

“I’m fine,” Hannah said as she held her hands firmly in her lap to stop them from shaking. “I’ll explain later,” she reassured her friend when Hermione still looked concerned. The carriages rattled up towards the castle as the five Gryffindors inside chatted happily. Hannah’s contributions were relatively half-hearted though, as she could not stop thinking about the horses right outside the carriage. 

Why was it she could only see them now that she’d seen someone die? Was it some sort of sick metaphor for seeing things clearly now that she’d felt real pain? Or what if it was Lyall’s ghost, coming around when she was there to watch her?

The last option seemed less likely but it absolutely terrified Hannah and she dug her nails into the palm of her hand and gritted her teeth as they rode, trying to shake the sick feeling she’d gotten. She felt a twitch in her breast pocket and smiled slightly, sticking a finger in to let Gizmo lick. He curled up on her, humming warmly even though she was not petting him and sending waves of relaxation and calmness through Hannah’s body with his song. Her laugh and smile became genuine, and her words in the conversation the others were having about hoping Snape would have gotten too mad over Lockhart being hired as the Defense teacher and quit became less forced. Hannah noticed and smiled, wondering vaguely if Remus had known that Gizmo would be helping her like this.

They arrived at the doors of Hogwarts a few moments later and the five Gryffindors unloaded themselves from the carriage, Hannah still giving the thestrals a wide berth. They filed in through the doors, guided by Minerva who treated Hannah to a curt nod when she beamed at her. Hermione, Neville, Fred, George, and Hannah all found their seats around the head of the table and sat down to wait for the sorting ceremony to start.

“Do you think Harry and Ron will have gotten here yet?” Neville asked.

“You mean dropped out of the sky yet? Not sure,” Fred joked and Neville paled.

“I’m sure they’ll arrive safely, Neville,” Hermione reassured him. “But I don’t quite know exactly when they’ll get here…” 

Up in the sky, Harry and Ron were living out Fred’s joke. 

“Not far,” Ron said to the groaning car as he patted the dashboard nervously. “Not far now.”

Ron ducked under the clouds again to check for Hogwarts through the black night.

 _“There!”_ Harry shouted, making Ron and Hedwig jump. “Straight ahead!” 

Silhouetted on the dark horizon, high on the cliff over the lake, stood the many turrets and towers of Hogwarts castle and Harry’s heart leapt despite his worries, finally feeling at home again. 

Unfortunately, his joy was cut short by the car sputtering and losing speed. 

“Come on,” Ron said cajolingly, giving the steering wheel a little shake. “Nearly there, nearly there…” 

The engine groaned. Narrow jets of steam were issuing from under the hood and Harry found himself gripping the edges of his seat very hard as they flew over the lake. Ron’s hands were pale white on the steering wheel, his freckles almost invisible. The car gave a nasty wobble as they passed the dark black lake below them.

“Come _on,_ ” Ron muttered as the car wobbled again. They were completely over the lake… the castle was right ahead… Ron put his foot down on the gas. 

There was a loud clunk, a splutter, and the engine died completely. 

“Fuck,” Ron said into the silence. The nose of the car dropped and they plummeted, gathering speed and heading straight for the castle wall. Harry let out a high-pitched shriek that cracked halfway through as Ron panicked. 

“NOOOOO!” He screamed, swinging the steering wheel around so that they missed the stone wall by inches and turned to fly over the grounds, soaring over trees and greenhouses and losing altitude all the way. Ron let go of the steering wheel completely to take his wand out of his pocket.

“ARE YOU FUCKING MAD!” Harry yelled as Ron whacked the dashboard and the steering wheel with his wand. 

“STOP! STOP! STOP!” Ron screamed but nothing happened and they still plummeted towards the ground, something large right below them…

“WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!” Harry bellowed as he lunged for the steering wheel. But too late. 

WHAM.

With an earsplitting bang of metal on wood, they hit the thick tree trunk and dropped to the ground with a heavy jolt. Steam was billowing from under the crumpled hood; Hedwig was shrieking and Scabbers squeaking hysterically; a golf-ball-size lump was forming on Harry’s head where he’d hit the windshield and Ron let out a low, despairing groan. 

“Are you okay?” Harry asked urgently.

“My wand,” Ron said shakily. “Look at my wand…” 

It had snapped almost in two. Ron held it up with shaking hands and the tip dangled limply to the side, held together by just a few splinters. Harry opened his mouth to say he was sure they’d be able to mend it up at the school, but he never even got started. At that very moment, something hit his side of the car with the force of a charging bull, sending him lurching sideways into Ron just as an equally heavy blow hit the roof.

“What’s happen-” 

Ron gasped and Harry looked up just in time to see a tree branch as thick as a python smash into the windshield. The tree they’d hit was attacking them. Its trunk was bent almost double and its branches were pummeling every inch of the car they could reach with surprising force. 

“AAAARGH!” Ron said as another twisted limb punched a large dent into his door. The windshield was now trembling under a hail of blows from knuckle-like twigs and a branch as thick as a battering ram was pounding furiously on the roof which seemed to be caving…

“Run for it!” Ron shouted, throwing his full weight against his door which wasn’t saying much, but the next second he had been knocked backward into Harry’s lap by a vicious uppercut from another branch. 

“We’re done for!” Ron moaned as the ceiling sagged but suddenly the floor of the car was vibrating… the engine had restarted. 

_“Reverse!”_ Harry yelled and the car shot backward towards the ground and landed with a loud crash. The tree was still trying to hit them; they could hear its roots cracking as it almost ripped itself up, lashing out at them as they sped out of reach. 

“That was close,” Ron panted. “Well done, car-” 

But the car did not seem to want Ron’s compliment. With two sharp clunks, the doors flew open, and both their seats tipped sideways, sending them sprawling out on the damp ground. Loud thunks told them that the car was ejecting their luggage from the trunk; Hedwig’s cage burst open as it was chucked out and she gave Harry an angry shriek before flying off towards the owlery. The car sent Scabbers flying out as well, hitting Ron directly in the chest with the rat as it squeaked at him. Then the car, dented, scratched, and steaming, rumbled off into the darkness, its rear lights blazing angrily. 

“Come back!” Ron yelled after it. “Dad’ll kill me!” 

But the car did not listen to Ron and kept driving away from the two boys and the rat, disappearing into the darkness. 

“Can you believe our luck?” Ron said miserably as he tightened Scabbers to his chest. “Of all the trees we could’ve hit, we had to get the one that hits back!” 

They glanced over at the ancient tree, which was still waving its branches at them menacingly. 

“Come on…” Harry said wearily, pulling Ron away from his staring contest with the tree. “We’d better get up to the school.” 

It wasn’t at all the triumphant arrival they’d pictured. Stiff, cold, and bruised, they picked up their trunks and lugged them up the grassy slope toward the great oak front doors. Panting and tripping, they pulled the heavy trunks up to the doors and flung them down to sit on top of them and catch their breaths. 

“I think the feasts already started,” Ron said after a second, getting up to walk over to the window and peer inside. “Hey, Prongs… come and look! It’s the sorting!” 

Candles were hovering in midair just like they’d remembered them, floating calmly over the four long crowded tables that held the students of each house. Overhead, the ceiling mirrored the sky outside, sparkling with stars. Through the forest of black Hogwarts cloaks, there was a small line of scared-looking first years filing into the hall. Ginny was visible among them immediately, her flaming red hair catching the light of the candles floating above her. Next to her was a smaller girl, with pale blonde hair that was almost blinding even from the distance. She was talking very fast and Ginny was watching her with a smirk, seemingly much calmer than she’d been in the car. 

Professor McGonagall was standing at the front of the hall, reading off names from a list. A small mousy haired boy had been called up towards the stand, and he shook as he walked up and sat himself down on the stool, and Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head. After a few seconds, the hat opened its mouth and called out a word Harry and Ron could not hear, but they smiled as the Gryffindor table started clapping and cheering. The small boy ran over to the table, grinning and waving to his fellow classmates. He sat down at the end and Harry looked up the table a few seats to see Hannah and Hermione lean over and congratulate him. 

Harry’s eyes wandered away from Hannah’s smile a few seconds later to look up at the staff table where Professor Dumbledore clapped politely as a small girl in a hijab was sorted almost instantly into Hufflepuff. Several seats along, sat Gilderoy Lockhart, talking loudly and fast to the teacher next to him who did not seem pleased by the arrangement. At the end of the table was Hagrid, who Harry and Ron could see was trying to mouth something to Hannah and Hermione, who both seemed to have no idea what he was saying. Harry and Ron laughed as they saw Dumbledore raise a hand to his mouth and pretend to clear his throat, and Hagrid sat back in his seat blushing furiously. 

“Hang on…” Harry muttered to Ron a few seconds later. “There’s an empty chair at the staff table… where’s Snape?”

“Maybe he’s ill!” Ron suggested hopefully.

“Maybe he’s _left_ ,” Harry said. “Because he missed out on the Defense Against the Dark Arts job _again!”_

“Or he might have been _sacked!”_ Ron said enthusiastically. “I mean, everyone hates him-”

“Or maybe,” said a very cold, very angry voice behind them. “He’s waiting to hear why you two didn’t arrive on the school train.” 

Harry and Ron spun around to see Professor Snape, standing directly in front of them with billowing black robes and an expression that could turn one to stone.

“Follow me,” Snape sneered, a smile creeping across his features that told both Ron and Harry that they were in deep, deep trouble. 

Not even daring to look at each other, Ron and Harry followed Snape up the steps into the vast, echoing entrance hall, which was lit with flaming torches. The delicious smell of food and friendly chatter was coming from the Great Hall but Snape led them past it, leading them instead towards a narrow stone staircase that went down to the dungeons. 

“In!” he said, opening a door halfway down the cold passageway and pointing. They entered Snape’s office, shivering from nerves and the temperature. The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars, in which floated all manner of revolting things that Harry and Ron had absolutely no desire to know the name of. The fireplace was dark and empty and Snape added to the abysmal mood by shutting the door and turning to look at them. 

“So,” he said softly. _“So_ … the train isn’t good enough for the famous Harry Potter and his faithful sidekick Weasley. Wanted to arrive with a _bang_ , did we, boys? Surprised Miss _Lupin_ wasn’t with you. Or did she give you the idea in the first place and let you orchestrate it?” 

“No, sir. It was the barrier at King’s Cross, it-”

“Silence!” Snape said coldly. “What have you done with the car?” 

Ron gulped. This was not the first time Snape had given Harry the impression of being able to read minds. A second later, however, Snape’s knowledge of the car was exclaimed as he walked over to his desk and picked up a copy of today’s issue of the _Evening Prophet._

“You were seen,” Snape hissed, showing them the headline: FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIES MUGGLES. He flipped the paper back over to himself and began to read aloud. 

“Two Muggles in London, convinced they saw an old car flying over the Post Office tower… at noon in Norfolk, Mrs. Hetty Bayliss while hanging out her washing… Mr. Angus Fleet of Peebles reported to police… six or seven Muggles in all. I believe your father works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office?” he said, looking up at Ron and smiling nastily. “Dear, dear… his own son…”

Harry felt like he’d been walloped in the stomach by one of the tree’s larger branches. If anyone found out that Mr. Weasley had bewitched the car… they hadn’t thought of that…

“I noticed, in my search of the park, that considerable damage has been done to a very valuable Whomping Willow,” Snape went on. 

“That tree did more damage to us than we-” Ron blurted out. 

“Silence!” Snape snapped again. “Most unfortunately, you are not in my house and the decision to expel you does not rest with me. I shall go and fetch the people that do have that happy power. You will wait here.” 

Ron and Harry hardly heard Snape get up and leave the room, shutting and locking the door behind him. They both felt extremely sick. Harry tried not to look at the green slimy thing suspended in a jar of goo above Snape’s desk. If he’d gone to fetch Professor McGonagall, they were not much better off. She was fairer than Snape but still extremely strict. 

Ten minutes later, Snape returned, and sure enough, he had Professor McGonagall with him. The two boys had seen Professor McGonagall angry on several occasions, but either they had forgotten just how thin her mouth could go or they’d just never gotten her this angry before. She raised her wand and Harry and Ron both flinched, but she merely pointed it at the empty fireplace where flames suddenly erupted. 

“Sit,” she ordered, and Harry and Ron backed into chairs by the fire.

“Explain,” she said, her glasses glinting ominously. Harry’s heart was stuck in his throat, preventing him from uttering a single word so Ron took lead once again.

“Well, Harry was staying with me over the summer, Professor, and we all drove this morning to the platform together and my family is big and we were running late and they all went ahead of us on the barrier and they all made it but when Harry and I tried to go through it stopped us! It sealed up and we ran right into it so you see, we really had no choice, Professor, we couldn’t get on the train-” 

“Why didn’t you send us a letter by owl? I believe _you_ have an owl, Mr. Potter,” Professor McGonagall said coldly.

“I… I-” Harry stuttered. 

“Or perhaps you two could’ve waited for Mr. Weasley’s parents to come through the barrier? Then they could’ve apparated the pair of you to Hogwarts gates,” Professor McGonagall suggested. Ron and Harry gaped at her. Now that she said it, it seemed like the obvious thing to do. 

“Or maybe if you did not prefer apparition, you could have driven home with your parents and had them floo you directly into my office. Why you would’ve even made the feast!” 

“We… we didn’t think-” Harry mumbled. 

“That,” Professor McGonagall said, “is obvious.” 

There was a knock at the office door and Snape, looking happier than Harry and Ron had ever seen him, opened it. There stood Professor Dumbledore, and Harry felt his stomach drop and hit the floor. Dumbledore was looking unusually grave. He stared down his very crooked nose at them and Harry found himself suddenly wishing he and Ron were still outside being beaten up by the Whomping Willow. There was a long silence before Dumbledore spoke. 

“Please explain why you did this,” Dumbledore said and it was Ron’s turn to grow quiet and scared. It would’ve been better if he had shouted. Harry hated the disappointment in his voice. This, both boys thought, must have been what Hannah had meant when she’d complained about getting in trouble with Remus. Shouting was much preferred to the cold silence and disappointed eyes. 

For some reason, Harry found himself unable to look Dumbledore directly in the eyes and addressed his knees instead. He told Dumbledore everything Ron had told Professor McGonagall, everything except that Mr. Weasley owned the bewitched car, making it sound as though he and Ron had happened to find a flying car parked outside the station. He knew Dumbledore would see through this at once, but Dumbledore asked no questions about the car. When Harry had finished, he merely continued to peer at them through his spectacles. 

“We’ll go and get our stuff,” Ron said in a hopeless voice. 

“What are you talking about, Weasley?” Professor McGonagall snapped. 

“Well, you’re expelling us, aren’t you?” Ron said. Harry looked up quickly at Dumbledore. 

“Not today, Mr. Weasley,” Dumbledore said and both boys felt relief flood through their bodies. “But I must impress on you the seriousness of what you have done. I will be writing to both your families tonight. I must also warn you that if you do anything like this again, I will have no choice to expel you.” 

Snape looked as though Christmas had been canceled. He cleared his throat as he straightened and leaned forward to Dumbledore. 

“Professor Dumbledore, these boys have flouted the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry, caused serious damage to an old and valuable tree… surely acts of this nature-” 

“It will be for Professor McGonagall to decide on these boy’s punishments, Severus,” Dumbledore said calmly. “They are in her house and therefore her responsibility. I must go back to the feast, Minerva, I’ve got to give out a few notices. Come, Severus, there’s a delicious-looking custard tart I want to sample-”

And Dumbledore stood to walk out of the door, Snape following behind him and shooting Harry and Ron a look of pure venom. They were left alone in the room with Professor McGonagall, who was still eyeing them like a wrathful eagle. 

“You’d better get along to the hospital wing, Weasley, you’re bleeding.”

“Not much,” Ron said, hastily wiping the cut over his eye with the sleeve of his sweater. “Professor, I wanted to watch my sister being sorted-”

“The sorting ceremony is over,” Professor McGonagall said curtly. “Your sister is also in Gryffindor.” 

“Oh, good,” Ron said. 

“And speaking of Gryffindor-” Professor McGonagall started but Harry cut in.

“Professor, when we took the car, term hadn’t started yet, so- so Gryffindor shouldn’t really have points taken from it… should it?” Harry stuttered, finishing quite lamely due to his nervousness at the prospect of repeating last year’s unpopularity from a massive point deduction. Professor McGonagall gave him a piercing look, but he was quite sure the corner of her mouth had twitched slightly. 

“I will not take points from Gryffindor,” Professor McGonagall said and Harry and Ron’s hearts lightened significantly. “But you will both get a detention.” 

It was better than Harry had expected. As for Dumbledore writing to the Dursleys, that was nothing. Harry knew perfectly well they’d just be disappointed that the Whomping Willow hadn’t squashed him flat. 

Professor McGonagall raised her wand again and pointed it at Snape’s desk. A large pile of sandwiches, two silver goblets, and a jug of iced pumpkin juice appeared on a tray. 

“You will eat in here and then go straight to your dormitory,” she ordered. “I must also return to the feast.” 

When the door closed behind her, Ron let out a long, low whistle. 

“I thought we’d had it,” he said as he leaned over and grabbed a sandwich. 

“So did I,” Harry said as he too took a sandwich. 

“Can you believe our luck though,” Ron said thickly through a large mouthful of chicken and ham. “Fred and George must’ve flown that car five or six times and no one ever saw _them.”_ He swallowed and took another huge bite. _“Why_ couldn’t we get through the barrier?”

Harry shrugged. “Dunno. Wish one of them would’ve explained, though,” he said, referring to the three adults that had just left. 

“Probably didn’t believe us,” Ron said and Harry frowned.

“They never do. Remember last year, with the stone? And we tried to tell McGonagall but she didn’t believe us. Would’ve saved a good amount of time even though it wasn’t Snape.” 

Ron just shrugged and Harry scowled. 

“We’ll just have to watch our step from now on,” he said before taking a large swig of pumpkin juice. “Wish we could’ve gone up to the feast…”

“She didn’t want us showing off,” Ron said matter-of-factually. “Doesn’t want people to think it’s clever, arriving by flying car.” 

When they had eaten as many sandwiches as they could stomach (the plate kept refilling itself) they rose and left the office, Ron making sure he knocked over a jar full of slugs from Snape’s shelf before leaving. 

“Slimy git, looks just like him,” Ron said, referring to the slug on the floor. Harry snickered. 

“Did you notice him trying to get us expelled?” Harry asked. “Little shit, he was practically _begging_ Dumbledore.” 

“Of course I noticed, how could I not, that’s the most I’ve ever wanted to body slam someone,” Ron laughed as they walked down the silent hallways towards their common room. At last, they reached the passage where the secret entrance was hidden, covered by a large oil painting of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. 

“Password?” she asked as they approached. 

“Er-” Harry said. None of the teachers had remembered to tell them the Gryffindor password but help came almost immediately in the form of their two best friends emerging from the girl’s bathroom in the hall. Hannah gave a roar of delight when she saw them and ran over, smothering them both in a hug. Hermione walked over a few seconds later, holding back her greeting with her arms crossed on her chest. 

_“Flying_ the car!” she started. “What on _earth_ were you two _thinking_? Or were you even thinking at all-” 

“Without _me_ !” Hannah exclaimed, cutting off the start of a very long lecture from Hermione. “You flew a _car_ to Hogwarts without me, how _dare_ you!” 

Harry and Ron stood in silence for a few seconds before bursting out into laughter, as their two friend’s reactions were exactly what they’d predicted they’d be.

“This is no laughing matter, you assholes!” Hannah said. “The level of disrespect-” 

“You two are lucky you weren’t expelled, or are you on your way to fetch your things?” Hermione asked and Harry and Ron quieted down at the tone of worry they recognized in Hermione’s voice. It was hard to find when she was angry but if you knew her as well as Harry and Ron did, it was relatively easy. 

“We’re not expelled,” Harry assured her and she relaxed a bit. 

“We’ve just got detention,” Ron said and Hannah laughed. 

“For flying a car to the school? You got off easy-”

“And what in Merlin’s name possessed you to do such a thing?” Hermione asked and Harry and Ron shared a look.

“We couldn’t get onto the platform,” Ron said and Hannah and Hermione frowned. 

“What do you mean?” Hermione asked, forgetting her anger now that she was interested.

“It sealed itself up,” Harry said. “We ran at it but it was closed, it wouldn’t let us in.”

“That’s impossible,” Hannah said.

Harry shrugged. “It’s what happened. We don’t know why.”

“So… you couldn’t get onto the platform so you thought the next best thing to do was steal your parent’s car?” Hermione asked.

“Uh… yeah. Seemed like a good idea at the time,” Ron said and Hermione deflated a little in shame. She put her head in her hands, mumbling something about being friends with idiots. 

“So what happened to you two?” Hannah asked, gesturing to the smeared blood on Ron’s forehead and the cut on Harry’s lip. “Looks like you’ve been jumped.” 

“Well… funny story… the car ran out of gas,” Ron said and Hermione snorted. 

“So we sort of crashed into this big ass tree,” Harry said informatively. “And it started hitting us over and over again… the car got us out though and pushed us out with our stuff before driving away. Dunno where it is-” 

“Wait, wait, wait,” Hannah interrupted. “What tree?” 

“The one like a little out of the way from Hagrid’s hut,” Ron said. “Think Snape called it a flopping willow.”

Hannah’s eyes widened. 

“The _Whomping_ Willow?” she asked and Ron and Harry nodded.

“Yeah, how’d you know?” Harry asked and Hannah ignored him.

“Is it alright?” she said and Ron groaned.

 _“Why_ does everyone care about that stupid _tree_ , it did more damage to us than we did to it!” 

“I doubt it if you hit it full speed with a bloody car and all you two have is a few scratches,” Hannah said. “That tree is extremely valuable and-”

“I thought you hated herbology, why do you care?” Ron snapped.

“I do hate herbology by that doesn’t mean the tree isn’t important-” 

“I’d hope you’d care more about your friends than some homicidal tree.”

“I do care more about you two but I can see you alright standing in front of me and I can’t see the tree-” 

“Okay, stop it, you two,” Harry said as Ron opened his mouth to argue back. “Padfoot, the tree is fine it was still trying to kill us as we walked back up to the castle, Wormtail, she didn’t mean it like that,” he said and his other two friends quieted down but still scowled at each other. Harry sighed and turned to Hermione. “Moony, please take your head out of your hands and tell us the password, I’m fucking exhausted.” 

Hermione sighed and pulled her hands away from her face, rubbing her eyes as she did so.

“It’s _wattlebird._ We came up here with everyone else but decided to wait around in the bathroom for you two to come,” she informed them and Harry turned to the fat lady and gave her the password, sighing as she nodded.

“And, Godric, it feels good to use our nicknames again,” Harry said. “Been holding them back all summer around every-” 

His words were cut short, however, as the portrait of the fat lady swung open and there was a sudden storm of cheering and clapping. It looked as though the whole of Gryffindor house was still awake, packed into the circular common room, standing on the lopsided tables and squashy armchairs, waiting for them to arrive. Arms reached through the portrait hole and grabbed Harry and Ron inside, leaving Hannah and Hermione to scramble after them. 

“Brilliant!” Lee Jordan exclaimed. “Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow, people’ll be talking about that one for years-”

“Good for you,” said a fifth year neither Ron or Harry had ever spoken to before. People were clapping them on the back like they’d just won a marathon. Fred and George pushed their way to the front of the crowd and said together, “Why couldn’t we have come in the car, eh?” 

Ron was scarlet in the face and grinning embarrassedly. Behind them, Hannah was cheering with everyone else while Hermione rolled her eyes. But out of the corner of his eye, Harry spotted someone that didn’t look pleased in the slightest. Percy was visible over the heads of some excited first years, and he seemed to be trying to get near enough to start telling them off. Harry nudged Ron in the ribs and nodded in Percy’s direction. Ron got the point at once. 

“Got to get upstairs, bit tired,” he said and the two of them started pushing their way toward the spiral staircase that led to the dormitories on the other side of the room. 

“‘Night,” Harry and Ron called down to Hannah and Hermione, who were still following behind them, Hannah wearing a large grin and Hermione a scowl similar to Percy’s. 

Harry and Ron hurried up the spiral staircase, appreciating the peace of it, right to the top, and at last reached the door of their old dormitory, which now had a sign on it that said ‘second years’. They entered the familiar, circular room, with its five four-posters hung with red velvet and its high, narrow windows. Their trunks had been brought up for them and stood at the ends of their beds. 

Ron grinned guiltily at Harry. 

“I know I shouldn’t have enjoyed that, or anything, but-”

The dormitory door flew open and in came the other second year Gryffindor boys, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom. 

_“Unbelievable!”_ beamed Seamus.

“Cool,” Dean said. 

“Amazing,” Neville said, awestruck. 

Harry couldn’t help it. He grinned too.

In the girl’s dorm, Hannah and Hermione were alone and talking about the day’s events. Everyone else was still downstairs doing the same but the large number of people had been making Hermione’s head hurt so they’d both made their way up to the dorm almost as soon as Ron and Harry had. 

“And I mean, it really is an accomplishment if you think about it in the long run,” Hannah said. “They’ll be remembered as the guys that crashed into the Whomping Willow and if that’s not socially acceptable I don’t know what is.”

“They’ll be remembered by it _forever,_ ” Hermione said. “What if future employers know about it and-”

“Oh my gosh, that won’t happen, Moony, calm down,” Hannah said, flinging herself down on her bed. She shot up a few seconds later. “I’ve got to write to dad about this.”

And she leaned over to her bedside table and pulled out a piece of parchment and a pen before she began scribbling furiously. 

“A _pen,_ ” Hermione snorted and Hannah smiled.

“Quills are too much sometimes. I took it from dad before we left.”

Hannah wrote for a while longer before she stood up to look outside the window.

“Damn,” she cursed. “Can’t see the tree from here.” 

Hermione shuffled nervously on her bed before speaking.

“Not trying to intrude… but why do you care so much?” she asked and Hannah’s face paled a little bit.

“It’s just important, okay?” Hannah said as she turned and sat down on her bed, picking up her pen to start writing again. “I’m allowed to care about trees.” 

Hermione did not buy this for a second but decided to leave her friend alone about it as she did not seem to want to open up. 

“Well, at least tell me about what was bothering you today,” Hermione said and Hannah looked up, confused. “On the carriage ride,” Hermione reminded her. “You looked like you were about to faint.”

“Oh,” Hannah said. _“That.”_

She explained reluctantly but explained nevertheless, and Hermione’s eyes widened as she told her she’d seen Lyall die. She shared her fears about the thestrals with her friend, as she knew she wouldn’t make fun of her, but that didn’t make Hermione’s sympathetic face at the end of her story anymore bearable. 

“Oh, Pads, it’s alright,” Hermione said, going to sit on Hannah’s bed next to her. “I imagine they’re really creepy.”

“You’ve got no idea,” Hannah said and Hermione reached over and patted her hand with her own before shooting up as Lavender and Parvati entered the room giggling.

“Going to the bathroom,” Hermione muttered and she ran off, leaving Hannah to make small talk with the other two before going back to her letter. They quieted down eventually, but before that, they told Hannah all about their summer and how cute Gizmo was, who had been sitting out on Hannah’s pillow. 

“Oh, I _love_ him,” Lavender cooed. “I wonder if I could get away with bringing Binky.”

“Whose Binky?” Hannah asked.

“Her rabbit,” Parvati answered and Hannah smiled.

“You should bring him,” she said. “Gizmo could use a friend that’s not an old rat or a slimy toad. And I won’t tell on you.”

“Ooh, maybe I will!” Lavender said. “I’ll write to my Mum and ask… I just hope she’ll let me bend the rules a bit.”

And Lavender and Parvati had gone back to their side of the room, talking about small pets and flying cars. Hermione came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, smiling awkwardly at Parvati and Lavender before getting in her bed and saying goodnight. Hannah finished her letter to Remus shortly after that and got out of bed to send it off with Ziggy. Unfortunately, his perch was empty and she had to place it on her nightstand instead, planning to send it off the next morning.

That night all four girls dreamt of flying cars, along with almost everyone else in Gryffindor tower. 

**

Remus apparated on his front doorstep the next day around six-fifteen p.m with a migraine, absolutely exhausted, ready for a cup of tea and his warm bed. His boss had been keeping him late ever since Remus let slip Hannah had gone back to her boarding school, something that did not work well with Remus’ habit of reading at night until he forgot what time it was and having to rush to get three hours of sleep in before work. 

There was absolutely no reason for Remus to stay after work, he hardly had anything to do even during the day, but his boss was a lonely and talkative man who always found a way to stall him for an extra hour when he could tell Remus was too tired to think of a reason out.

Remus opened his door and walked inside, throwing his coat and his bag down on his chair and kicking his shoes off. He rubbed his eyes as he walked into the dining room, yawning as he reached a hand up to brush through his tawny curls. He frowned mid-yawn when he saw the three letters addressed to him sitting on the dining room table, and Remus walked over and picked the nearest one up, smiling when he saw who it was from. He opened it carelessly, as he did with most things, and unfurled the parchment to read Arthur Weasley’s neat handwriting. 

_Remus,_

_Thanks for checking in. Everything's fine here, honestly, although Molly is still fussing about the car. Work has been okay. I am facing some problems because of the car but nothing too serious. It looks like we might be fined but… we’ll manage._

_Dumbledore wrote Molly and me earlier today and told us the details of what happened with Ron and Harry. Apparently the car did run out of gas and fell into a Whomping Willow that was on the grounds. Don’t ask me how they’d ever think planting that tree was a good idea. It’s ruined the car and no one can find it, but I guess that’s for the best. Both boys are fine although the car did do a number on that tree._

Remus’ heart skipped a beat as he read over the last few words. It was normal for him to feel a bit… protective over the tree even though it was no longer benefiting him, right? Remus still couldn’t bear the thought of anything bad happening to the tree, he was still attached to it. He’d missed it so much after leaving Hogwarts it had physically hurt him, the lack of the comfort of knowing the tree was there to protect him left him feeling naked and unsure during his transformations. Lily had suggested that it might have been the wolf in Remus, that he had been attached to the tree because he saw it as a comfort and that was why Remus still loved and missed it. Of course, that also would explain why Remus still loved and missed Sirius after eleven years though Lily hadn’t known she’d been predicting that… 

A strong feeling like bile rose in Remus’ throat and he pushed the thought down, going back to read the rest of Arthur’s letter. 

_I’ve tried to talk Molly out of it but she’s dead set on sending Ron a howler. Poor boy, I won’t be here while she makes it so I’m not exactly sure what it’ll say but I know it won’t be good._

_Molly’s also dead set on inviting you over for dinner and I must say I agree. Are you free this Friday? Hopefully, I’ll be off and you can floo over._

_With love,_

_Arthur_

Remus smiled at the rest of the letter and planned to write back and tell Arthur he was free and would love to come. He also smiled as he thought about the howler Ron was being sent, remembering the brief time in fourth year when James and Sirius had gotten really into sending howlers to one another and sometimes Remus or Peter or Lily. Remus himself had gotten so many howlers he could hardly see one or think about one without hearing James’ voice echo in the back of his mind: YOU LEFT YOUR UNDERWEAR IN MY BED AGAIN AND I WAS WONDERING WHEN YOU WERE PLANNING TO COME AND PICK THEM UP. I DO LOVE SLEEPING WITH THEM BUT THEY REALLY ARE STARTING TO SMELL AND I THINK EVANS IS GETTING JEALOUS. 

Remus put the letter down and picked up the next one, ripping it open a bit more carefully once he saw it was from Hannah. He opened it and unraveled the parchment, smiling when he noticed at once the improvement in Hannah’s handwriting compared to the year before. 

_Daddy,_

_You won’t believe what Harry and Ron did. They flew Ron’s parents' car all the way to Hogwarts and crashed on the grounds. They actually crashed into the Whomping Willow, but no worries, it’s alright. Harry said it was still trying to hit them when they were walking away. They told Hermione and me that they couldn’t get onto the platform, do you know why that is? They said it sealed itself against them so they couldn’t get through. Ron said they thought their ‘only choice’ was to take the car. Idiots._

_Hogwarts is as wonderful as ever. I can’t wait to have a class with Professor Lockhart and tell you what he’s like. Hermione and Fred have a bet that he’ll say his own name ten times within the first day. Hermione’s only betting against because she has a crush on him._

_Gizmo’s been getting a lot of attention from the other students but no one’s going to tell on me for having two pets I don’t think. Percy acted like he was going to but then George threatened to let Gizmo eat his prefect badge and he quieted down._

_Not a whole lot going on besides the car, honestly. I just really wanted to tell you about it and want to know how proud you are of me for not going and joining them. Say it, come on, aren’t you proud?_

_I love you,_

_Hannah_

Remus smiled and set the letter back down, happy that Hannah was happy. As for Ron and Harry having the barrier sealed so they couldn’t get through, that was impossible. Remus was sure Harry had channeled James’ energy and seized the opportunity once the adults had disappeared through the barrier. Or, really, it may have been Ron’s idea. The kid was related to the Prewett twins after all. 

But Remus was happy that Hannah had not had the option of flying in the car with Harry and Ron as he was sure she would’ve taken it. He made a mental note to remind Hannah of this as he picked up the third letter.

He frowned when he saw the Hogwarts crest stamped on the front, confused at why he’d gotten a letter so soon in the term. Had Hannah gotten herself into trouble and just hadn’t mentioned it? That didn’t seem likely. She’d always try and send Remus a letter before the other got to him, trying to convince him it wasn’t really that bad.

Remus opened the letter and unfurled it, raising his eyebrows when he recognized Dumbledore’s handwriting. What had Hannah _done_?

_Mr. Lupin,_

_I’m sending this letter to you in hopes you’ll be able to help me with Harry. I’ve told both Harry and his friend that I’ll be writing to their families and I have for Mr. Weasley but I was unsure about writing to Harry’s Aunt and Uncle. I’ll write instead to you, as I know you spend a good amount of time with the boy and have expressed a desire to raise him in the past._

_Yesterday, as I’m sure you know, Harry and his friend stole a car and flew it to Hogwarts, crashing into your very own Whomping Willow. The tree is fine with minimal damage and both boys are uninjured. What possessed them to take the car is unclear, I’ve heard a story about the gateway sealing itself to them but I’m sure you understand why I doubt that._

_I’m reaching out to you similarly to how I reached out your fifth year at school with the prefect appointment. Harry needs guidance and his Aunt and Uncle are not providing him with that so I hope he’ll turn to you as an adult he can trust. Your daughter is very well behaved for the most part and I hope you’ll help Harry with whatever he needs to be more like your own Hannah. Again, he’s a good boy, but if you could explain to him why that was wrong it would be a great help as I am his headmaster and do not have the parental position over him._

_Thankful for your help,_

_Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

Remus’ hands shook as he placed the letter back down on the table and took a seat. So Dumbledore could refuse his requests to raise Harry himself but could reach out when Harry needed real parenting? It was absolutely unfair. If Remus had raised Harry like he should have, this still would’ve happened. It wasn’t Harry being a bad person it was just Harry being a kid and making a stupid decision. How would Remus prevent that? It was _exactly_ like when he’d gotten the prefect badge his fifth year. Why was he the one expected to rein everyone else in all the time? Wasn’t he allowed to sit back and watch the stupidity unfold? Remus knew he wasn’t a kid anymore and he did typically do a lot of reining in of stupidity since becoming a parent but he still held the same views on the badge and his position in people’s lives.

Remus wished he could have raised Harry. He wanted it with all his heart and he’d still just recently stopped asking about it since Dumbledore seemed stuck in his ways. Remus could’ve given Harry the childhood he’d deserved but he hadn’t been gifted with that and now he was expected to parent Harry when he’d hardly gotten to know the kid. It was bullshit. Remus didn’t want to be the bad guy.

He sat with his head in his hands thinking about all three letters for some time until he dozed off, his hands folding and his forehead slapping the table. He jumped up with a grunt, rubbing his eyes and sighing as he stood and forced himself to walk upstairs, get in comfier clothing, brush his teeth, wash his face, and sleep in his own bed. Remus sunk into his pillows and sighed, letting exhaustion take his thoughts about raising Harry away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Puttin' On The Ritz by Taco lol  
> also if you guys would like to recommend song recs i'd be open to putting them in the story. like you can comment a song that fits the time period and i'll see if i can fit it somewhere. i respond to all comments anyway so don't be worried about not getting an answer  
> i've also made a Spotify playlist with all the songs in order so if you'd like to hear that its right here  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4B1TTEPAWQ72XwRmn1pWZO?si=IDzorGvyQ9W2ylWt_T4Zcg


	18. Friday I'm In Love - Year Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the Chamber of Secrets  
> *CW* questioning of sexuality  
> 

The next few days following the car incident were far less cheerful than the celebrations the night of. Things started to go downhill at breakfast in the Great Hall. Ron and Harry dressed and ran downstairs only to find that Hannah and Hermione had not waited for them like they usually did and had already disappeared down to breakfast. Harry and Ron exchanged a look, both wondering if Hermione’s grumpiness towards their adventure had rubbed off on Hannah and how exactly the first day of lessons would go if their two best friends were angry with them. They walked downstairs and spotted Hannah and Hermione already seated at the Gryffindor table next to Ginny and Neville, Hannah sipping at a cup of coffee and Hermione staring open-mouthed with a piece of bacon held up next to her face while she read her copy of Voyages with Vampires which was propped up against a milk jug. 

“Good morning,” Hannah greeted them brightly as they sat down across from her and Hermione. 

“Good morning,” Ron and Harry chorused back and all three of them looked over at Hermione, who had been shaken out of her trance reading the book by the boy's appearance and had remembered to actually eat her bacon.

“Hm?” Hermione said when she noticed her friends staring. She swallowed before speaking. “Oh. ‘Morning.” 

There was a stiffness in the way she greeted them which told Ron and Harry she was still disapproving of the way they had arrived. Hannah rolled her eyes at her friend.

“Sorry we didn’t wait for you this morning,” Hannah said, changing the subject as she picked up a piece of toast and started buttering it. “I had to go find Ziggy in the owlery to write to my dad. Wanted to tell him about you two’s little adventure.” 

Ron and Harry smirked at that though they did notice that Hermione didn’t offer a reason for her not waiting. Hannah breezed past the uncomfortableness and roped Hermione into conversation with the boys until she started to soften to them a bit. Ron and Harry smiled at their friend, thankful she was there to pull Hermione out of her funk. 

“Mail’s due any minute,” Neville said halfway through breakfast, looking up at the bewitched ceiling. “I think Gran’s sending a few things I forgot.”

Sure enough, a few minutes later a hundred or so owls swarmed in from an opening in the ceiling, dropping letters and packages into the chattering crowd. A very large package was dumped on Neville’s head and he burned bright red as he picked it off the ground and tried to ignore the snickers around him. On Neville’s right, something large and grey fell into Hermione’s jug, spraying them all with milk and feathers. 

_“Errol!”_ Ron said as he pulled the bedraggled owl out of the jug by his feet. Errol slumped unconscious onto the table, legs in the air, and a bright red envelope clasped in his beak. Hannah and Ginny gasped and scooted a few inches down on their seats.

“Oh, no-” Ron moaned. 

“It’s alright, he’s still alive,” Hermione said, prodding Errol gently with the tip of her finger. 

“It’s not that… it’s _that.”_

Ron was pointing at the red envelope. It looked quite normal to Hermione and Harry, but Hannah, Ron, Neville, and Ginny were all looking at it as though they expected it to explode. 

“What’s the matter?” Harry asked. 

“She’s… she’s sent me a howler,” Ron said faintly.

“Ugh… sorry, mate,” Hannah grimaced and put her hands up to her ears as the envelope started to twitch and smoke slightly at the edges. 

“You’d better open it, Ron,” Neville said in a timid whisper. “It’ll be worse if you don’t. My Gran sent me one once and I ignored it and…” he gulped, “it was horrible.”

Harry looked from their petrified faces to the red envelope.

“What’s a howler?” he asked but no one was paying attention, even Hermione was looking at the envelope in fear even though she didn’t know exactly what it would do. 

“Open it,” Neville urged. 

“It’ll all be over in a few minutes,” Ginny said with a pitying expression. 

“Let’s just hope she didn’t write anything too embarrassing,” Hannah said as Ron stretched out a shaking hand and eased the envelope from Errol’s beak. Ginny, Hannah, and Neville all stuffed their fingers in their ears as Ron slit the envelope open with a similar expression of one dismantling a large bomb. Hermione and Harry copied the rest of their friends covering their ears just in time and soon found out exactly why it was more than necessary. For a second it seemed like the letter had exploded; a roar of sound filled the huge hall, shaking dust from the ceiling and causing everyone from the surrounding tables to whip their heads around towards the small group of Gryffindors. 

**_“-STEALING THAT CAR, I WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY’D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT UNTIL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON’T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE-”_ **

Mrs. Wesley’s yell, a thousand times louder than it’s normal volume, filled the Great Hall, making spoons and plates rattle and causing several students to clap their hands to their ears in protection from the deafening screams. Ron sank so low in his chair that only the bright crimson of his forehead could be seen. Even with their hands covering their ears they could hear every single word Mrs. Weasley said and when Hannah and Ginny laughed to themselves no one could hear.

**_“-LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN’T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY BOTH COULD HAVE DIED-”_ **

Harry had been wondering when his name was going to crop up and he felt his face burn with embarrassment as heads turned to stare at him and he tried very hard to look like he could not hear the voice that was echoing around the hall even though he still had his hands over his ears. Under the table, Hannah nudged his foot with hers and he looked up to see her grinning at him. This did not help.

**_“-ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED- YOUR FATHER’S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK AND IT IS ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT. IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE’LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME.”_ **

**** A ringing silence fell. The red envelope, which had dropped from Ron’s hand, burst into flames and curled into ashes. Harry and Ron sat stunned as though a tidal wave had just washed over them. A few people laughed and gradually the talk broke out again. Hannah smirked as she leaned over and swept the ashes onto the floor. 

“Not as bad as it could’ve been,” she said. Ron just grunted as he pulled himself back up in his seat. Hermione stuffed Voyages with Vampires in her bag before clearing her throat and looking up at Ron. 

“Well, I don’t know what you expected, Ron, but you-”

“Don’t tell me I deserved it,” Ron snapped.

Harry pushed his porridge away, his insides burning with guilt. Mr. Weasley was facing an inquiry at work. After all Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had done for him over the summer… he’d gone and put Mr. Weasley’s job at risk. 

Harry and Ron were quiet for the rest of breakfast and everyone supposed it was just because of the embarrassment and not the extreme guilt that was pooled in each of their stomachs. Ron put his head in his hands and sighed. What if his father lost his job? All because Ron had been stupid enough to not wait for his parents. The Weasley’s hardly got along as it was. If Mr. Weasley lost his job they’d have no chance… 

Neither of them had much time to dwell on their guilt, though, because at that moment Professor McGonagall began moving along the Gryffindor table, handing out course schedules. They smiled and took their schedules from her and Hannah noticed that Minerva gave a slight smirk at the expressions on Ron and Harry’s faces. She said nothing though and kept moving along the table. 

“Let’s see…” Hermione said, lifting up her schedule to read off their classes for the day. She seemed to be in a much better mood towards the boys, Hannah noticed. Apparently she thought the howler had been more than enough punishment. “Double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and then Transfiguration before lunch. Then-” Hermione stuttered slightly, “Defense Against the Dark Arts.” 

Hannah snickered at Hermione’s nervousness and she kicked her underneath the table. Neither of the boys noticed. 

“Oi! Granger!” a voice a few seats down said. The marauders, Ginny, and Neville all turned to see Fred leaning over Angelina Johnson’s cereal bowl, ignoring her huffs about eating her food. “Have you got Lockhart today?” he practically shouted. 

“Yeah, we do,” Hannah grinned. “Guess I’ll be keeping score!” 

Fred winked at Hannah and went back to eating and talking with George. 

“Score?” Harry asked as Hermione poked moodily at her eggs. Hannah smirked at him. 

“Moony and Fred have a bet. Fred thinks Lockhart will say his own name at least ten times his first class period. Moony disagrees. Just a galleon.” Hannah explained. 

“Think you’ve already lost that one, ‘Mione,” Harry grinned and Hermione stuck her tongue out. After finishing their breakfast, the four Gryffindors left Neville and Ginny at the breakfast table and headed down to the greenhouses for their first lesson. 

“Fred must be really confident with that bet,” Ron whispered to Harry as they stood and began following the girls. “I don’t think he’s _got_ a galleon.” 

As they neared the greenhouses they saw the rest of the class standing outside, waiting for Professor Sprout. Hannah and Ron had just dropped their bags on the grass and had begun to use them as pillows when she came striding into view across the lawn, accompanied by Gilderoy Lockhart himself, something she did not seem too happy about. Professor Sprout's arms were full of bandages and with another twinge of guilt, Harry spotted the Whomping Willow in the distance, several of its branches in slings. He noticed Hannah staring it down as she got to her feet and felt even worse when she frowned to herself. 

“Oh, hello there!” Professor Lockhart called, beaming around at the assembled students. “Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But I don’t want you running away with the idea that I’m better at Herbology than she is! I just happen to have met several of these exotic plants on my travels…” 

“Greenhouse three today, chaps!” Professor Sprout said rather disgruntledly, not at all her usual cheerful self. There was a murmur of interest among the two combined houses. They had only ever worked in greenhouse one before… greenhouse three would surely have much more advanced and dangerous plants. 

They all swarmed towards the door where Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and unlocked it. They all caught a whiff of damp earth and fertilizer mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrella sized flowers dangling from the ceiling. Hannah made a gagging sound and Ron giggled. They were lined up one by one entering the greenhouse when Professor Lockhart placed a hand on Harry’s shoulder. Hannah snickered at the look of pure disgust that appeared on Harry’s face at the touch.

“Harry! I’ve been wanting a word… you don’t mind if he’s a couple of minutes late, do you, Professor Sprout?”

Judging from the scowl on Professor Sprout’s face, she did mind, but Lockhart said, “That’s the ticket,” and shut the door in her, Ron, Hannah, and Hermione’s faces. Hannah and Ron scowled while Hermione brushed it off and they went and stood by a trestle bench that was placed in the middle of the room. About twenty pairs of different-colored earmuffs were lying on the bench and Hannah reached her hand out to play with the fuzz on one of the pink ones, drawing it back immediately when Professor Sprout snapped at her, “No touching yet!” Professor Sprout seemed rather grumpy and distracted, huffing, and dropping her things as she struggled past her students to get to the front of the room.

Outside, Lockhart pulled Harry a few feet away from the greenhouse before turning to him and giving him a bright smile. 

“Harry,” Lockhart said, shaking his head as his gleaming teeth caught the sunlight and Harry blinked hard several times when the glare hit his glasses. “Harry, Harry, Harry.”

Harry said nothing. 

“When I heard… well, of course, it was all my fault. Could have kicked myself.” 

Harry had no idea what he was talking about. He was about to say so when Lockhart went on, “Don’t know when I’ve been more shocked. Flying a car to Hogwarts! Well, of course, I knew at once why you’d done it. Stood out a mile. Harry, Harry, _Harry_.” 

It was remarkable how he could show every single one of those brilliant teeth even when he wasn’t talking. Harry found himself zoning out, staring at the way Lockhart’s blonde curls caught the sunlight and the front of his robes bulged slightly from the muscles underneath. Heat raised in Harry’s face and he mentally shook himself out of the thoughts, very uncomfortable with getting the sort of thoughts he’d supposed only Hermione and Mrs. Weasley had about Lockhart. Now, why had he gotten them too? 

“Gave you a taste for publicity, didn’t I?” Lockhart went on, oblivious to Harry’s crisis. “Gave you the _bug._ You got onto the front page of the paper with me and you couldn’t wait to do it again.” 

“Oh, no, Professor, see-”

“Harry, Harry, Harry,” Lockhart said, reaching out and grasping Harry’s shoulder. Heat rose in Harry’s face again and he stopped mid-sentence as his words turned into mumbled gibberish. _“I understand._ Natural to want a bit more once you’ve had that first taste… and I blame myself for giving you that, because it was bound to go to your head… but see here, young man, you can’t start _flying cars_ to try and get yourself noticed. Just calm down, all right? Plenty of time for that when you’re older. Yes, yes, I know what you’re thinking! ‘It’s all right for him, he’s an internationally famous wizard already!’ But when I was twelve, I was just as much of a nobody as you are now. In fact, I’d say I was even more of a nobody! I mean, a few people have heard of you, haven’t they? All that business with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!” He glanced at the lightning scar on Harry’s forehead. “I know, I know, it’s not quite as good as winning Witchy Weekly’s Most-Charming Smile Award five times in a row, as I have- but it’s a _start,_ Harry, it’s a _start.”_

Harry said nothing, just looked at Lockhart with a dumbstruck expression, almost all attraction to him lost. Lockhart gave Harry a wink before he strode off and the heat rose in Harry’s face again. He stood stunned for a few seconds and, remembering he was supposed to be in the greenhouse, he walked over to the door, opened it, and stepped inside. He raised his eyebrows at all the fluffy earmuffs as he walked over to his friend group. When he’d taken his place between Hermione and Hannah, Professor Sprout said, “We’ll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?”

To nobody’s surprise, Hermione’s hand was first into the air. The other three snickered at their friend as she stood up on her tippy-toes and strained her arm up high, trying to get Professor Sprout's attention.

“Yes, Ms. Granger.”

“Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative,” Hermione said, sounding as though she’d swallowed the textbook as usual. “It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state.”

“Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor,” Professor Sprout said. Hermione looked very smug as she leaned back towards her friends, who were all mock-clapping for her. “The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, very dangerous. Who can tell me why?”

Hermione’s hand narrowly missed Harry’s glasses as it shot up again. 

“Yes, Granger.”

“The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it,” Hermione said promptly. 

“Good girl, take another ten points,” Professor Sprout said. Harry, Ron, and Hannah beamed at their friend. “Now, the Mandrakes here are still very young.”

She pointed to a row of deep trays as she spoke, and everyone shuffled forward for a better look. A hundred or so tufty little plants, purplish-green in color, were growing there in rows. They looked quite unremarkable to Harry, who didn’t have the slightest idea what Hermione meant by the ‘cry’ of the Mandrake. Behind him though, Hannah was making high pitched shrieking noises in Ron’s ear and he was pretending to play dead, falling over onto Hermione who rolled her eyes and pushed him off. 

“Everyone take a pair of earmuffs,” Professor Sprout ordered. 

There was a scramble as everyone tried to seize a pair that wasn’t pink and fluffy. Everyone except Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff and Hannah Lupin from Gryffindor. They both reached towards it and Hannah from Gryffindor grinned as she saw the other girl try to snag it.

“Dibs!” Hannah Lupin yelled, flattening herself on the bench and yanking away the earmuffs. Hannah Abbott rolled her eyes but smiled as she grabbed a purple pair instead. 

“When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are _completely_ covered,” Professor Sprout said. “When it is safe to remove them, I will give you a thumbs up. Right… earmuffs on.” 

The marauders all snapped their earmuffs on along with the rest of the class. They shut out sound completely and Hannah tapped Harry on the shoulder, getting him to look at her as she mouthed, ‘guess what I’m saying’. Harry grinned and nodded, letting out a laugh that no one could hear as he saw a stream of profanity form on Hannah’s lips. They snickered and turned their heads back to the front of the class, where Professor Sprout had her earmuffs secured around her head and was pulling hard on one of the tufty plants. Her hand shot up and everyone let out a gasp. 

Instead of roots, a small, muddy, and extremely ugly baby had popped out of the earth. The leaves were growing right out of its head. It had pale, green, mottled skin, and was clearly bawling at the top of its lungs. Professor Sprout took a large plant pot from under the table and plunged the Mandrake into it, burying it in the dark, damp compost until only the tufted leaves were visible. Professor Sprout dusted off her hands, gave them all a thumbs up, and removed her own earmuffs. 

“That’s what your baby pictures look like, Prongs,” Hannah said as soon as they could hear each other, grinning when Harry swatted her on the head. 

“As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won’t kill yet,” Professor Sprout said calmly as though she’d just done nothing more exciting than water a begonia. “However, they will knock you out for several hours, and as I’m sure none of you want to miss your first day back, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it's time to clean up. Four to a tray- looks like we have an uneven amount so there will be one group of five… Potter, Granger, Lupin, Weasley, and Finch-Fletchly, you pair up.” 

The marauders smiled at the light-skinned, curly-haired Hufflepuff boy they’d all known by sight but had never spoken to. 

“There is a large supply of pots here,” Professor Sprout went on, “Compost stacks over there… and be careful of the Venomous Tentacula, it’s teething.” 

She gave a sharp slap to a spiky, dark red plant as she spoke, making it draw in the long feelers that had been inching sneakily over her shoulder. And on that horrifying note, they were off. 

The Hufflepuff boy joined them at their cramped tray, smiling brightly and extending his hand to them. 

“Justin Finch-Fletchley,” he said as he shook Harry’s hand. “Know who you are, of course, the famous Harry Potter… and you’re Hannah Lupin, I remember you from last year’s potions class when you dropped that bowl of frog livers on Zacharius Smith after he teased Gryffindor for the quidditch match,” Hannah beamed at him as she had her hand shaken too. “And you’re Hermione Granger… always top in everything,” Hermione blushed as she shook hands with him. “And Ron Weasley. Wasn’t that your flying car?” 

Ron didn’t smile. The howler was obviously still on his mind. 

“That Lockhart’s something, isn’t he?” Justin said happily as they began filling their pots with dragon dung compost. 

“W-what do you mean?” Harry questioned nervously and Hermione frowned at his stuttering. 

“Oh, you know,” Justin said cheerfully, not seeming to notice Harry’s uncomfortability. “He’s just an awfully brave chap, don’t you think? Have you read his books? I’d have died of fear if I’d been cornered in a telephone booth by a werewolf, but he stayed cool and- _zap_ \- just fantastic.” 

“Just… _zap_ … huh?” Hannah said sarcastically, trying to push down the burning anger in her throat. 

“Yes! Haven’t you read that one?” Justin said.

“Haven’t gotten around to it, no. Bet that doesn’t happen so often though,” Hannah grunted.

“Exactly!” Justin said, completely unphased. “My name was down for Eton, you know. I can’t tell you how glad I am that I came here instead. Of course, mother was slightly disappointed, but since I made her read Lockhart’s books I think she’s really come around to see how useful it’ll be to have a fully trained wizard in the family…”

“You’re muggleborn?” Hermione asked curiously. 

“Oh, yes,” Justin said enthusiastically. “You are too, aren’t you? And still top at everything! An inspiration to us all, I tell you!” 

Hermione blushed and spluttered and Hannah raised her eyebrows at Justin as he continued his obvious flirting. On her right, Ron was grumpily stuffing compost into a pot so hard it was threatening to break. Hannah smirked as she slapped his hands away and changed the subject. 

“How much do you think one of those costs?” Hannah asked her friends, nodding over towards the mandrakes as Professor Sprout instructed them to start planting. 

“Don’t even _think_ about it, Ms. Lupin,” Professor Sprout called to Hannah a few students away from them. Hannah smiled cheekily at her as she snapped her earmuffs back on.

The four Gryffindors and one Hufflepuff set to work on the mandrakes, soon discovering that it was a lot harder than Professor Sprout had made it seem. The mandrakes didn’t like coming out of the earth but they didn’t seem to want to go back into it either. They squirmed, kicked, flailed their sharp little fists, and gnashed their teeth. They spent a whole ten minutes trying to get a particularly fat one into a pot. 

By the end of the class, everyone was sweaty and tired, complaining about having to go the rest of the day covered in dirt. The marauders had other plans, though, and decided to sprint up to Gryffindor tower for a quick shower before the bell rang for transfiguration.

“You know,” Hannah puffed as they went flying through the front doors and turned to run up the staircase. “It’s a shame we hardly ever have herbology with the Slytherins. What I’d give to chuck a Mandrake at Malfoy’s head…”

The other three chuckled but went back to the matter at hand, which was separating at the bathrooms and running in to wash off. They cleaned and dressed in new clothes, running out at the same time to dash to Professor McGonagall’s class. Hannah put her hair up in a bun to keep people from noticing it was wet and Hermione had no time to pull back the bushy curls that fell down her shoulders. Ron and Harry, as usual, had no idea what their hair even looked like at the moment. 

They made it to transfiguration just in time, finding their seats at the back of the classroom as the bell rang. Minerva raised an eyebrow but said nothing as Hannah sat back in her seat next to Harry and winked at her. Minerva bit back a grin as she turned and started to teach.

Her classes were normally hard work, but today was especially difficult. It seemed that everything they’d learned the year before had leaked out of their heads over the summer, with the exception of Hermione. They were supposed to be turning a beetle into a button, but all Harry and Hannah managed to do was give their beetles a lot of exercise as they scurried over the desktop avoiding their wands. 

Ron was having far worse problems. He had patched his broken wand with some spellotape from Seamus, but it seemed to be damaged beyond repair. It kept crackling and sparking at odd moments, and every time Ron tried to transfigure his beetle it engulfed him and Hermione in a thick grey smoke that smelled very strongly of rotten eggs. Unable to see what he was doing, Ron accidentally squashed his beetle with his elbow and had to ask for a new one. Professor McGonagall wasn’t pleased. 

They were all relieved to hear the lunch bell. Harry’s brain felt like a wrung sponge and he rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses as he and Hannah stood to walk out of the classroom with everyone else. But Ron and Hermione were hanging back by their desk, in the middle of a heated argument. Hannah and Harry mentally cursed their friends as they walked over to their desk. 

“Stupid- useless- fucking- thing-” Ron said, banging his wand against the desk with every word.

“That won’t solve anything, Ronald,” Hermione said snootily. Hannah laughed at the use of Ron’s full name, which she knew Hermione loved to say to get the upper hand. “I keep telling you, let me do a repairing spell and try to fix it!”

“Nope!” Ron said as he continued to bang his wand on the desk. “I’ve got it!” 

“Write home for another one,” Harry suggested as the wand let off a volley of bangs like a firecracker. 

“Oh, yeah, and get another howler back,” Ron said, giving up and sticking the hissing wand inside his bag. _“It’s your own fault your wand got snapped-”_

They went down to lunch together, where Ron’s mood was not improved by Hermione taking her pile of buttons that she’d produced in transfiguration and started showing them off to Ginny. 

“What’ve we got this afternoon?” Harry said hastily in an attempt to change the subject even though he already knew the answer.

“Defense Against the Dark Arts,” Hermione said at once.

 _“Why,”_ demanded Ron, seizing her schedule, “have you outlined all of Lockhart’s lessons in little hearts?”

Hermione snatched her schedule back, blushing furiously as Hannah and Harry roared with laughter. They finished lunch and after a reminder about the bet from Fred and George, left the Great Hall and went outside into the overcast courtyard. Hermione sat down on a stone step and buried her nose in Voyages With a Vampire again and Ron sighed before taking a seat next to her and pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill.

“What’re you doing, Wormtail?” Hannah questioned.

“Writing an apology letter to my parents,” Ron said simply and Harry looked up, interested.

“Will you tell them I’m sorry too?” Harry asked and Ron grunted.

“‘Course.” 

Hannah and Harry left their friends to it and started talking about quidditch. Harry and Ron had missed the start-of-term announcements, so Harry hadn’t known that try-outs for the Gryffindor team weren’t being held that year, as Wood had personally asked Dumbledore to just let Hannah right on, something Hannah was extremely proud of. 

“Yeah, I mean,” Hannah said, smirking and letting her hair out of its bun only to toss it haughtily over her shoulders. “Not like it’s a big deal or anything but… it’s a pretty big deal, you know?”

“Yeah,” Harry said, grinning at his friend. Ron stood up a few minutes later, sealing his letter with a frown.

“Can I borrow Hedwig, Prongs? Errol won’t last another trip,” Ron said and Harry nodded.

“Sure, just keep it until tonight and when she comes in you can send it off with her,” Harry said and Ron thanked him before inserting himself in the conversation about quidditch. It took a few moments for Harry to realize that they were being watched. Looking up, Harry saw the small mousy-haired boy he’d seen trying on the sorting hat the night before staring at him as though transfixed. He was clutching what looked like an ordinary Muggle camera, and the moment Harry looked at him, he went bright red.

“All right, Harry? I’m- I’m Colin Creevy,” he said breathlessly, taking a tentative step forward. “I’m in Gryffindor, too. D’you think… would it be alright if… can I have a picture?” he said, raising the camera hopefully. 

“A picture?” Harry repeated blankly. Hannah and Ron both had to turn away to let out their giggles. 

“So I can prove I’ve met you,” Colin said eagerly, edging forward more confidently. “I know all about you. Everyone’s told me. About how you survived when You-Know-Who tried to kill you and how he disappeared and everything and how you’ve still got a lightning scar on your forehead,” his eyes flew up to Harry’s messy hair and scar, “and a boy in my dormitory told me if I develop the film in the right potion, the pictures’ll _move,”_ Colin drew a great shuddering breath of excitement and said, “It’s _amazing_ here, isn’t it? I never knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic until I got the letter from Hogwarts. My dad’s a milkman, he couldn’t believe it either. So I’m taking loads of pictures to send home to him and my little brother. And it’d be really good if I had one of you,” he looked imploringly at Ron and Hannah, “maybe one of your friends could take it and I could stand next to you? And then, could you sign it?”

“I’d _love_ to take it,” Hannah teased and stepped forward to take the camera as Ron broke out into giggles behind her and Harry scowled. Colin’s face lit up like a match and he was just handing her the camera when a loud, drawling voice spoke up behind them.

 _“Signed photos?_ You’re giving out signed _photos,_ Potter?” 

Draco Malfoy’s voice echoed around the courtyard. He had stopped right behind Colin, flanked, as he always was, by his large and thuggish companions, Crabbe and Goyle. 

“Why do you care, Malfoy?” Hannah called out so everyone could hear her. “You want one?”

Several people snickered and Draco turned a delicate shade of pink. 

“Everyone line up!” Draco roared to the crowd, trying to speed past Hannah’s comment. “Harry Potter’s giving out signed photos!” 

“No, I’m not,” Harry said angrily, his fists clenching. “Shut up, Malfoy.” 

Draco smiled, pleased with the reaction he’d gotten. 

“You’re just jealous,” piped up Colin, whose entire body was about as thick as Crabbe’s neck. 

_“Jealous?”_ Draco said, not needing to shout anymore as half the courtyard was listening in. “Of what? I don’t want a foul scar right across my forehead, thanks. I don’t think getting your head split open makes you that special, myself.”

Crabbe and Goyle giggled stupidly.

“Eat slugs, Malfoy,” Ron snarled. Crabbe stopped laughing and cracked his knuckles in a menacing way. 

“Be careful, Weasley,” Draco sneered. “You don’t want to start any trouble or your Mummy’ll have to come and take you away from school.” he put on a shrill, piercing voice. _“If you put another toe out of line’-”_

A knot of Slytherin fifth-years nearby laughed loudly at this. 

“Does your mother even know you’re in school, Malfoy?” Hannah growled angrily, trying to stop herself from launching at her cousin. “Or is she too drunk off her ass to remember where you are?” 

Hannah had forgotten her promise to Remus, and let her anger take control of her to insult Draco in the worst way possible for him. She realized this as soon as she said it, and bit the inside of her cheek as Draco’s face fell and he wondered how she even knew about his mother. 

“Tough talk from the girl whose father looks like he washes with a cheese grater,” Draco snarled and Hannah forgot her promise to be nicer once again as she tried to run at Draco and Ron held her back. Draco snickered at the picture and turned to Ron instead. 

“Weasley would like a signed photo, Potter,” Draco smirked. “It’d be worth more than his family’s whole house-” 

Ron let go of Hannah and whipped out his Spellotaped wand, but Hermione shut Voyages with Vampires with a snap and whispered, “look out!”

“What’s all this, what’s all this?” Gilderoy Lockhart was striding toward them, his turquoise robes billowing behind him. “Who’s giving out signed photos?”

Harry started to speak but he was cut short by Lockhart flinging an arm around his shoulder and his breath leaving his body. 

“Shouldn’t have asked!” Lockhart thundered joyfully. “We meet again, Harry!” 

Pinned to Lockhart’s side and burning with humiliation and a hot feeling in his gut, Harry saw Draco slide back into the crowd with a smirk. 

“Come on then, Mr. Creevy,” Lockhart said, beaming at Colin. “A double portrait, can’t do better than that, and we’ll _both_ sign it for you.”

Colin fumbled for his camera and took the picture as the bell rang behind them, signaling the start of afternoon classes. 

“Off you go then, move along,” Lockhart called to the crowd, and he set off back to the castle with Harry still pinned to his side, leaving him hot and confused while he wished he knew a good vanishing spell. 

“A word to the wise, Harry,” Lockhart said paternally as they entered through a side door. “I covered for you back there with young Creevy… if he was photographing me too, your schoolmates won’t think you’re setting yourself up too much…”

Deaf to Harry’s mumbled stammers, Lockhart swept him down a corridor lined with staring students and up a staircase. 

“Let me just say that handing out signed photos at this stage of your career isn’t sensible… it looks a tad big-headed, Harry, to be frank. There may well come a time when, like me, you’ll need to keep a stack handy wherever you go but,” he gave a short chuckle, “I don’t think you’re quite there yet.” 

They had reached Lockhart’s classroom and he let Harry go at last. Harry yanked his robes straight and headed for a seat in the back of the class, where he busied himself with piling all seven of Lockhart’s books in front of him so that he could avoid looking at the real thing for a multitude of reasons. 

The rest of the class came in a few moments later, Hannah, Ron, and Hermione all joining Harry at his table and snickering.

“Could’ve fried an egg on your face,” Ron teased and Hannah and Hermione giggled. “You’d better hope Colin doesn’t meet Ginny, or they’ll be starting a Harry Potter fan club.”

“Fuck off,” Harry snapped. The last thing he needed was for Lockhart to hear the words ‘Harry Potter fan club’. Hannah grinned and leaned forward across Ron to whisper to Harry. 

“Think Colin might have a bit of a crush, Prongs,” Hannah teased. Then she winked. 

Harry felt himself blush again, but Hannah had already turned back to Hermione to whisper something in her ear that made her roll her eyes. Harry looked back at his desk and frowned. The way Hannah had said Colin might have a crush on him seemed so… normal. Like there was nothing wrong with it. Like how she also teased him about Ginny having a crush. She made it seem like it was almost expected and Ron and Hermione had not even paused to question her statement. Of course, Harry knew that Hannah’s dad was gay and Hannah technically had two dads, but he’d never really seen her talk about someone else being gay. He hadn’t asked her to explain all the details when she told him because of the circumstances, so he still didn’t really understand. Was it normal for Colin to like Harry? Maybe this was an explanation for why Harry felt so nervous around Lockhart. He was… handsome. And maybe it wasn’t so bad that Harry thought that. If it was normal to Hannah and Ron and Hermione did not seem to think anything of it, did that mean it was okay? 

But Harry didn’t think he was gay. He liked the girls that he saw. Occasionally Ron would point someone out to him when Hannah and Hermione weren’t paying attention and Harry would blush and get nervous just like Ron would. So what did that mean? If he felt the same way about both? 

Harry was snapped out of his thoughts by Lockhart stepping up to the front of the classroom and clearing his throat. He reached forward and grabbed Neville’s copy of Travelling with Trolls, holding it up for the entire class to see. 

“Me,” Lockhart said, winking at them all as the picture of himself posed around in its frame and beamed at them. Hannah snorted and nudged Hermione, who rolled her eyes. 

“Doesn’t count,” Hermione hissed. 

“Gilderoy Lockhart,” he went on to say. Hannah giggled and held up one finger while Hermione scowled. “Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly’s Most-Charming Smile Award… but I don’t talk about that. I didn’t get rid of the Bandon Banshee just by _smiling_ at her!” 

He waited for them to laugh; a few people smiled weakly, including Hermione. 

“I see you’ve all brought a complete set of my books… well done. I thought we’d start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about, nothing to worry about… just to check how well you’ve read them, how much you’ve taken in-”

He handed out the test papers and returned to the front of the class and said, “You have thirty minutes… start… _now!”_

The marauders looked down at their papers and read:

_1\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart’s favorite color?_

_2\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart’s secret ambition?_

_3\. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart’s greatest achievement in life?_

On and on it went, all the way down to:

_54\. When is Gilderoy Lockhart’s birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?_

“Wow,” Hannah whispered, looking through the paper that had Lockhart’s name written on it a total of sixty times.

“I think you might have lost that bet, Moony,” Ron smirked and Hermione huffed and ignored them, scribbling answers down on her paper faster than they could read. Hannah, Harry, and Ron had hardly picked up their books since getting them, so they took turns playing a game of tic-tac-toe on the back of the quiz sheet.

Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the papers and rifled through them in front of the class. 

“Tut, tut… hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in Year with a Yeti. And a few of you need to read Wanderings with Werewolves more carefully- I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples… though I wouldn’t say no to a bottle of Ogden’s Old Firewhiskey!” 

He gave them another roguish wink. Ron was now staring at Lockhart with an expression of disbelief on his face. Hannah had her head almost in between her legs under the desk and was shaking with repressed giggles. Harry had both his hands underneath his glasses and was covering his eyes from the second-hand embarrassment while Dean and Seamus were practically falling on top of each other with silent laughter. Neville was wistfully remembering herbology that morning. Hermione, on the other hand, was listening to Lockhart with rapt attention and gave a start when he mentioned her name. 

“...but Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care products… good girl! In fact… full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?” 

Hermione raised a trembling hand. 

“Excellent!” Lockhart beamed. “Quite excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor!”

Hermione looked like she might faint. Hannah giggled into her hands. 

“And so… to business…” Lockhart said as he bent down behind his desk and lifted a large, covered cage onto it. 

“Now- be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm.”

In spite of himself, Harry leaned around his pile of books for a better look at the cage. Lockhart placed a hand on the cover. Dean and Seamus had stopped laughing now and Hannah took her face out of her hands to sit up and look over at the cage. Neville was cowering in his front-row seat. 

“I must ask you not to scream,” Lockhart said in a low voice. “It might provoke them.” 

The whole class held its breath, and Lockhart whipped off the cover with a flourish. 

“Yes,” he said dramatically. _“Freshly caught Cornish pixies.”_

Seamus could not control himself. He let out a snort of laughter that even Lockhart couldn’t mistake for a scream of terror. 

“Yes?” he smiled at Seamus.

“Well, they’re not… they’re not very _dangerous,_ are they?” Seamus choked. 

“Don’t be so sure!” Lockhart said, wagging a finger annoyingly at Seamus. “Devilish tricky blue blighters they can be!” 

The pixies were electric blue and about eight inches high, with pointed faces and voices so shrill it was like listening to a lot of budgies arguing. The moment the cover had been removed, they had started jabbering and rocketing around, rattling the bars and making bizarre faces at the people nearest them. 

“Right then,” Lockhart said loudly, “let’s see what you make of them,” and he opened the cage.

It was pandemonium. The pixies shot in every direction like rockets. Two of them seized Neville by the ears and lifted him into the air. Several shot straight through the window, showering the back row with broken glass. The marauders ducked under their table just in time to avoid a non-consensual haircut. The rest proceeded to wreck the classroom more effectively than a rampaging rhino. They grabbed ink bottles and sprayed the class with them, shredded books and papers, tore pictures from the walls, up-ended the wastebasket, grabbed bags and books, and threw them out of the smashed window. Within minutes, half the class was sheltering under tables and Neville was swinging from the iron chandelier in the ceiling. 

“Come on now... round them up, round them up, they’re only pixies!” Lockhard shouted. He rolled up his sleeves, brandished his wand, and bellowed, _“Peskipiksi Pesternomi!”_

It had absolutely no effect; one of the pixies seized his wand and threw it out of the window too. Lockhart gulped and dived under his own desk, narrowly avoiding being squashed by Neville, who fell a second later as the chandelier gave way. 

The bell rang and there was a mad rush to the door. In the relative calm that followed, Lockhart straightened up, caught sight of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hannah, who were almost at the door, and said, “Well, I’ll ask you four to just nip the rest of them back into their cage.” He swept past them and shut the door quickly behind him.

“Can you _believe_ him?” Ron roared as one of the remaining pixies bit him painfully on the ear.

“He just wants to give us some hands-on experience,” Hermione said, immobilizing two pixies at once with a clever freezing charm and stuffing them back in their cage. 

_“Hands-on?”_ said Harry, who was trying to grab a pixie dancing out of reach with its tongue out. “Hermione- he didn’t have a clue what he was doing-”

“Rubbish,” Hermione said. “You’ve read his books- look at all those amazing things he’s done-”

“He _says_ he’s done,” Ron muttered. Hannah grinned and started singing loudly as she smacked a pixie away from Harry’s shoulder with a book. 

_“You’re so vain… you’re so vain… I bet you think this song is about you, don’t you, don’t you!”_

“Shut up, Pads,” Hermione snapped. Hannah jumped up on a desk and snatched a pixie out of the air as a groan came from the middle of the room. 

“Oh, shit,” Hannah said, immobilizing the pixie and stuffing it in its cage before walking over to Neville. “You alright?” she asked as she took his hand and helped him to his feet.

Neville straightened his robes and sighed. 

“I’m fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me,” he said as Hermione froze the last pixie that had been trying to hump the back of Ron’s head and stuffed it in the cage before closing it. 

“Come on, we’re done for today,” Harry said as he led them all out of the classroom. Neville left them at the next hallway, mumbling something about talking to Professor Sprout. They walked for a few more minutes until they realized they didn’t know where they were going. Ron suggested they go down to their spot by the forest and the other three jumped on the idea, speeding up to get their things from the dorm. 

“Look who it is!” Fred yelled as the four friends climbed through the portrait hole. “Well, _Hermy,_ how much do you owe me?” 

“She owes you a galleon,” Hannah smirked and Fred and George cheered. Hermione rolled her eyes and took a galleon out of a small beaded bag that she‘d stuffed in her school bag. She handed it to Fred and blushed when he took her hand in his and kissed it before snagging the galleon. The other three snickered as Hermione ran up to the girl’s dormitory right after, her face flushed. Ron swatted Fred on the back of the head as he walked away and the twins snickered. 

After getting their things, the marauders met in the common room and then walked out of the portrait hole again, chatting happily as they made their way down to an exit. They walked out of a side door and tramped the familiar path that led them to their clearing. 

Hermione and Ron spread out their sheet as Harry and Hannah set up the record player. Hannah was in a good mood, so she let Harry pick the music and he did not disappoint. A catchy, upbeat tune sprung up on the record and the four friends tapped their feet to it and sang along. 

_‘I don't care if Monday's blue_

_Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too_

_Thursday, I don't care about you_

_It's Friday, I'm in love_

_Monday you can fall apart_

_Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart_

_Oh, Thursday doesn't even start_

_It's Friday, I'm in love’_

While the music played the four friends laughed and talked about their previous classes of the day, Harry ranting several times about Lockhart pulling him away from herbology. The other three laughed when he told them, Hannah and Ron a little more so than Hermione, who blushed at Lockhart’s behavior. 

“It’s a pity he’s such an ass,” Hannah said with a smirk. “He’d probably have way more fans if his god complex wasn’t so visible, you know?”

“I don’t see why,” Ron snorted.

“Well, he’s not exactly hard on the eyes, is he?” Hannah sighed and Hermione giggled. Harry studied his fingernails. 

“I wouldn’t say that’s a reason,” Ron said and Hannah rolled her eyes.

“Oh, come on. He’s not good-looking?” 

Ron’s ears turned pink.

“I didn’t notice.”

“Bullshit,” Hannah said. “Everyone notices. You noticed, right, Prongs?” 

Harry’s heart skipped a beat as the other three looked over at him. 

“I-I… I mean… I dunno. I suppose?” Harry stuttered, looking up at his friends with a nervous expression. They all frowned at him, concerned at why he was so shaky. 

“I think he’d be famous even if he wasn’t good looking,” Hermione changed the subject, still looking at her friend. Harry went back to studying his fingernails. Hermione’s gaze was a bit too understanding. 

“Well, yeah, anyone that did all that would get famous,” Hannah said, tearing her eyes off Harry and leaning back on Ron’s leg for her headrest. “But probably not as famous as he is. And they wouldn’t have people drawing hearts around their names.”

Hermione kicked Hannah’s foot with her own and Hannah grinned. 

_‘Dressed up to the eyes_

_It's a wonderful surprise_

_To see your shoes and your spirits rise_

_Throw out your frown_

_And just smile at the sound_

_Sleek as a shriek, spinning 'round and 'round_

_Always take a big bite_

_It's such a gorgeous sight_

_To see you eat in the middle of the night_

_You can never get enough_

_Enough of this stuff_

_It's Friday, I'm in love’_

The marauders stayed outside until it was time for dinner, talking, and listening to music. Harry couldn’t help but notice that every time Lockhart or his looks were brought up, Hermione would change the subject very quickly and give Harry a side-ways glance. If she caught his eye when doing this, she’d give him a friendly smile. Harry didn’t know what to think of it. 

They went up when they heard the bell ring and stuffed their things in their bags as they walked, their stomachs rumbling in anticipation. Dinner wasn’t so bad, the twins teased Hermione a good bit about Lockhart but no one commented on his looks again. 

That night when they all went to bed, Harry laid awake for a while after everyone else’s snores filled the dorm. He couldn’t stop thinking about the hot feeling he’d gotten when Lockhart slung an arm around his shoulder. Harry tried to remember a time when it had happened before and it hit him in almost a split second; that time over the summer when George had hugged Harry very tight after they'd won against Ron and Fred in an amateur quidditch match. Harry felt himself blushing at the thought of it and he grew very hot and irritated again. 

Harry frowned at himself and turned in his bed, forcing his eyes shut and purposefully sleeping on his stomach, where he could feel most of the irritation. It took a while for him to fall asleep but he made it eventually, hot, sweaty, and rather angry with himself. Though he still didn't know exactly why. 

**

Hannah, Ron, and Hermione spent the next few days following Harry when he dodged out of sight whenever they saw Lockhart coming down a corridor. Harry gave no real explanation for this other than the word ‘annoying’ and he gave the same one when he dodged to avoid Colin Creevy, who he hardly ever successfully escaped from. Colin seemed to have memorized Harry’s schedule, something Hannah found extremely amusing. Harry wanted to ask Hannah if it really was normal for Colin to have a crush on him but he couldn’t work up the courage to face the questions that would surely come after he asked.

So Harry endured his friend’s teasing in silence on top of Colin greeting him with an “All right, Harry?” six or seven times a day. Nothing seemed to give Colin a bigger thrill than that, no matter how exasperated Harry sounded when he said “Hello, Colin,” back. 

Hedwig was still mad at Harry about the disastrous car journey so Ron had to use Ziggy to send his letter to his parents when Hannah’s black owl returned with a letter from Remus. Ron’s wand was still malfunctioning, surpassing itself on Friday morning by shooting out of Ron’s hand in charms and hitting tiny old Professor Flitwick squarely between the eyes, creating a large, throbbing green boil where it had struck. 

So with one thing and another, the marauders were quite glad to have finally reached the weekend. They were planning on visiting Hagrid on Saturday morning but one enthusiastic quidditch captain had different plans. 

“Whassamatter?” Harry said groggily in response to being shaken awake rather roughly. 

“Quidditch practice!” Oliver Wood said. “Come on!” 

Harry squinted at the window. There was a thin mist hanging across the pink-and-gold sky. Now that he was awake, he couldn’t understand how he could have slept through all the racket the birds were making. 

“Oliver,” Harry croaked. “It’s the crack of dawn.”

“Exactly,” Wood said. He was a tall and burly sixth year with twisty brown curls piled on top of his head and a large nose that was hovering just inches above Harry’s face. “It’s part of our new training program. Come on, grab your broom, and let’s go,” Wood said heartily. “None of the other teams have started training yet; we’re going to be first off the mark this year-”

Yawning and shivering slightly, Harry climbed out of bed and tried to find his practice robes. 

“Good man,” Wood said. “Meet you on the field in fifteen minutes.” 

When he’d found his worn scarlet robes and pulled on his cloak for warmth, Harry scribbled a note to Ron explaining where he’d gone and went down the spiral staircase to the common room, his Nimbus Two Thousand on his shoulder. When he stepped off and looked around the common room, he was greeted immediately with the sight of Hannah clad in scarlet practice robes as well, her Nimbus Two Thousand and One propped up on a chair and her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. She smiled through a yawn when she saw him. 

“Morning,” she said.

“Morning,” Harry replied. 

“Angelina came into my dorm this morning and woke me up,” Hannah explained. “Nearly had a heart attack, thought someone had died she looked so upset.”

Harry smiled politely, his brain still a bit too tired to laugh at jokes. 

“Well,” Hannah said, sticking her arms out and spinning around to show Harry her robes. “How do they look? They’re Alicia’s. Wood just shrunk them a bit.” 

“They look nice,” Harry said, heat rising in his face slightly at the topic. “You look really-”

They were interrupted by a clatter on the staircase and a few seconds later Colin Creevy shot out at them like a rocket, his camera swinging madly around his neck and something clutched in his hand. 

“I heard someone saying your name on the stairs, Harry! Look what I’ve got here! I’ve had it developed, I wanted to show you-” 

Harry looked bemusedly at the photograph Colin was brandishing under his nose while Hannah snickered into her hand. 

A moving, black-and-white Lockhart was tugging hard on an arm Harry recognized as his own. He was pleased to see that his photographic self was putting up a good fight and refusing to be dragged into view. As Harry watched, Lockhart gave up and slumped, panting, against the white edge of the picture. 

“Will you sign it?” Colin asked eagerly. 

“No,” Harry said flatly, looking around the room to check for anyone else besides the three of them. “Sorry Colin, I’m in a hurry… quidditch practice-”

And Harry grabbed his broom and the sleeve of Hannah’s robes and pulled her along to the portrait hole while she slung her own broom over her shoulder. They climbed through the portrait hole and Colin followed them.

“Oh, wow! Wait for me! I’ve never watched a quidditch game before!” 

“It’ll be really boring,” Harry said quickly but Colin ignored him. 

“You were the youngest house player in a hundred years, weren’t you, Harry? Weren’t you?” Colin said, trotting along in between Harry and Hannah. “You must be brilliant. I’ve never flown. Is it easy? Is that your own broom? Is that the best one there is?” 

“Nope,” Hannah said. “This one right here is the best,” and she held up her own broom for Colin to gaze open-mouthed at. 

“Woah! It’s so shiny!” 

Hannah did indeed keep her broom clean and waxed. Harry looked over at his own broom and frowned, seeing all the smudges of dirt and sweaty thumbprints. 

“Thanks,” Hannah said politely. 

“Are you on the team too? But you’re only a second year and I heard that the Gryffindor team didn’t have try-outs this year! You must be really good!” Colin ranted and Hannah’s cheeks went slightly pink at the compliment. She hadn’t told anyone, but Harry knew she was still relatively nervous about her first practice. 

Colin continued to follow them as they walked down to the pitch. Harry didn’t know how to get rid of him. It was like having an extremely talkative shadow. 

“I don’t really understand quidditch,” Colin said breathlessly. “Is it true there are four balls? And two of them fly around trying to knock people off their brooms?”

“Yes,” Harry said heavily, resigned to explaining the complicated rules of quidditch. Hannah, uncharacteristically, remained quiet and let Harry talk to Colin. He scowled at her and she grinned. “They’re called bludgers. There are two beaters on each team who carry clubs to beat the bludgers away from their side. Fred and George Weasley are the Gryffindor beaters.”

“And what are the other balls for?” Colin asked, tripping down a few steps because he was gazing open-mouthed at Harry. 

“Well, the quaffle… that’s the biggish red one… is the one that scores goals. Three chasers on each team throw the quaffle to each other and try and get it through the goalposts at the end of the pitch… they’re three long poles with hoops on the end. The chasers on our team are Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, and Hannah,” Harry gestured to Hannah in an attempt to change the subject but Colin didn’t even look away from Harry. 

“And the fourth ball-” 

“- is the golden snitch,” Harry said, “and it’s very small, very fast, and very difficult to catch. But that’s what a seeker’s got to do because a game of quidditch doesn’t end until the snitch has been caught. And whichever team’s seeker gets the snitch earns his team an extra hundred and fifty points.” 

“And _you’re_ the Gryffindor seeker, aren’t you?” Colin said in awe.

“Yes,” Harry said as they left the castle and started across the dew-drenched grass. “And there’s the keeper, too. He guards the goalposts. The Gryffindor keeper is Oliver Wood. That’s it, really.” 

But Colin didn’t stop questioning Harry all the way down the sloping lawns to the quidditch field, and Harry only shook him off when they reached the stands. 

“I’ll go and get a good seat, Harry!” Colin called in a piping voice and hurried off to the stands. 

“Thanks for your help,” Harry scowled at Hannah sarcastically as they walked to the changing rooms together. Hannah giggled. 

“Oh, just let him talk to you. You made his whole day just by answering some questions about quidditch. Kids in love,” Hannah smirked and Harry felt himself frown. 

“And that’s… that’s okay? You think?” he asked nervously. It was Hannah’s turn to frown.

“Of course that’s okay. Everyone gets crushes. Why wouldn’t it be?” she demanded, suddenly rather protective. Harry felt the blood leave his face. He’d been expecting Hannah to assume that Harry _was_ gay, not that he had a problem with _being_ gay! 

“W-w-what no!” 

Hannah stopped and raised her eyebrows at him. 

“No… no-no not what I meant. I meant like, yes of course that’s okay! I was just wondering if _you_ thought it was okay!” Harry spluttered.

“Of course I think it’s okay! You think a girl with two dads wouldn’t think that’s okay?” Hannah said.

“No, I mean, okay, I knew you’d think it was okay I was just… I don’t know… I just wanted to ask,” Harry said. Hannah was silent for a second, her amber eyes narrowed at him and looking him up and down. Harry was hiding something from her. Harry also looked like he might faint if she asked him another question. So Hannah forced her face neutral and slapped Harry on the back. 

“Okay, then!” Hannah said cheerfully and she continued to walk to the changing rooms with Harry trailing behind her. His heart was still thundering in his chest. Hannah had to have guessed what Harry was feeling! And maybe she was the best person to talk to about it. She… well… she obviously understood. Maybe she could tell Harry why he noticed both. Or maybe… Harry’s heart dropped… maybe Harry was the first person to ever think like this! And Hannah would think he was weird and then she wouldn’t want to be his friend-

Harry’s head smacked the door as Hannah opened it to step inside of the changing room, completely ruining his train of thought. 

“Merlin, Prongs,” Hannah snorted. “Where are you?” 

“Just tired,” Harry smiled sheepishly and followed her into the small building. 

Inside, was the rest of the Gryffindor team. Wood was the only person who looked truly awake. Fred and George Weasley were sitting, puffy-eyed and tousle-haired, next to fourth year Katie Bell, who seemed to be nodding off against the wall behind her. Her fellow chaser, Angelina Johnson, was in the middle of a large yawn. 

“There you two are, what kept you?” Wood said briskly and without waiting for an explanation, started his lecture. “Now, I wanted a quick talk with you all before we actually get onto the field, because I spent the summer devising a whole new training program, which I really think will make all the difference…” 

Wood was holding up a large diagram of a quidditch field, on which were many lines, arrows, and crosses in different-colored inks. He took out his wand, tapped the board, and the arrows began to wiggle over the diagram like caterpillars. As Wood launched into a speech about his new tactics, Fred Weasley’s head drooped right onto Katie Bell’s shoulder and he began to snore. 

The first board took nearly twenty minutes to explain, but there was another board under that, and a third one under that one. Harry and Hannah sank into a stupor as Wood droned on and on. This was not what Hannah had in mind when she pictured being on the quidditch team. 

“So,” Wood said, at long last, jerking Hannah and Harry from a mutual wistful fantasy about what they could be eating for breakfast at this very moment up at the castle. “Is that clear? Any questions?” 

“I’ve got a question, Oliver,” said George, who had woken with a start. “Why couldn’t you have told us all this yesterday when we were awake?” 

Wood wasn’t pleased. 

“Now, listen here, you lot,” he said, glowering at them all. “We should have won the quidditch cup last year. We’re easily the best team. But unfortunately… owing to circumstances beyond our control-”

Harry shifted guiltily in his seat and Hannah smiled sadly at him. He had been unconscious in the hospital wing for the final match of the previous year, meaning that Gryffindor had been a player short and had suffered their worst defeat in three hundred years. 

Wood took a moment to regain control of himself. Their last defeat was clearly still torturing him. 

“So this year, we train harder than ever before… okay, let’s go and put our new theories into practice!” Wood shouted, seizing his broomstick and leading the way out of the locker rooms. Stiff-legged and still yawning with the exception of Hannah who had woken up and was now bouncing with excitement, his team followed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Friday I'm In Love by The Cure and the song Hannah sang a line of is You're So Vain by Carly Simon.


	19. Oh, Darling! - Year Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the chamber of secrets  
> flashbacks are in bold  
> *TW* bullying, transphobia, and the term mudblood

They had been in the locker room so long that the sun was up completely now, although remnants of mist hung over the grass in the stadium. As Hannah and Harry walked onto the field, they saw Ron and Hermione sitting in the stands. 

“Aren’t you finished yet?” Ron shouted incredulously, his voice carrying over the field to the team. 

“Haven’t even started,” Hannah called back. Harry eyed the toast and marmalade that Ron and Hermione had brought out of the Great Hall.

“Wood’s been teaching us new moves,” Harry said and Ron and Hermione sank back into their seats, slightly deflated at the prospect of having to sit outside waiting for their friends for another hour. Hannah and Harry mounted their broomsticks and kicked off from the ground, soaring up into the air. The cool morning temperature whipped their faces, waking them far more effectively than Wood’s prep talk. It felt wonderful to be up in the air again, especially for Harry, who’d still spent the majority of his summer locked in his room at the Dursley’s with his feet planted firmly on the ground. 

Hannah made a happy whooping sound and did a loop-di-loop around Fred and George, causing them to grin and begin to chase her around the stadium at full speed, quickly turning into a race as Harry joined them. Harry and Hannah were neck-and-neck, Hannah a few inches ahead on her Nimbus Two Thousand and One. Harry looked over and grinned at her and she smiled back, making his heart soar for a reason that had nothing to do with the height they were at. Harry kept his eyes on the way the wind blew the hair back from Hannah’s face and her amber eyes searched the sky around her hungrily. He almost crashed into a keeper’s pole when Fred stopped abruptly as they hurtled around a corner and called for the others to stop as well. 

“Do you hear that?” Fred asked. “What’s that funny clicking noise?” 

They looked into the stands. Colin was sitting in one of the highest seats, his camera raised, taking picture after picture, the sound strangely magnified in the deserted stadium. 

“Look this way, Harry! This way!” he cried shrilly. 

“Who’s that?” Fred asked. 

“No idea,” Harry lied, putting on a spurt of speed that took him as far as possible from Colin. He could hear Hannah laughing behind him. 

“What’s going on?” Wood said, frowning, as he skimmed through the air toward them. “Why’s that first year taking pictures? I don’t like it. He could be a Slytherin spy, trying to find out about our new training program.” 

“He’s in Gryffindor,” Harry said quickly. 

“And the Slytherins don’t need a spy, Oliver,” George said. 

“What makes you say that?” Wood said testily. 

“Because they’re here in person,” George said, pointing. 

Several people in green robes were walking onto the field, broomsticks in their hands. 

“I don’t believe it!” Wood hissed in outrage. “I booked the field for today! We’ll see about this!” 

Hannah snorted as Wood shot off to the ground and she looked at Harry with raised eyebrows. Harry just smirked and nodded his head slightly, trying to say Wood’s temper for quidditch was normal. Hannah grinned and laughed to herself as she and Harry followed Wood, Fred, and George to the ground below. 

Wood landed rather harder than he meant to in his anger, staggering slightly as he dismounted. He did not let this stop him, though, and walked right up to the Slytherin captain, his shoulders squared and his jaw set. Hannah, Harry, Fred, and George followed. 

“Flint!” Wood bellowed. “This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!” 

Marcus Flint was even larger than Wood. He had a look of trollish cunning on his face as he replied, “Plenty of room for all of us, Wood.” 

Angelina and Katie had come over too. Each Gryffindor player stepped up around their captain to sneer at the Slytherin team. Hannah knitted her eyebrows as she looked at each of their brooms and noticed a striking similarity… 

“But I booked the field!” Wood yelled, positively spitting with rage. “I booked it!” 

“Ah,” Flint said. “But I’ve got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. _‘I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the quidditch field owing to the need to train their new seeker.’_ ”

“You’ve got a new seeker?” Wood said, distracted. “Where?” 

And from behind the six larger figures came a seventh, smaller boy, a smirk plastered all over his pale face. Hannah let out a high, cold laugh as Draco winked at her. 

“Aren’t you Lucius Malfoy’s son?” Fred asked, looking at Draco with dislike. 

“Funny you should mention Draco’s father,” Flint said as the whole Slytherin team smiled broadly. “Let me show you the generous gift he’s made to the Slytherin team.” 

All seven of them held out their broomsticks and Hannah took a sharp intake of breath as her worst thoughts were confirmed. Seven highly polished, brand-new handles and seven sets of fine gold lettering spelling the words _‘Nimbus Two Thousand and One’_ gleamed under the Gryffindor’s noses in the early morning sun. 

“Very latest model. Only came out a few months ago,” Flint said carelessly, flicking a speck of dust from the end of his own. “I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps,” he smiled nastily at Fred and George, who were both clutching Cleansweep Fives, “sweeps the board with them.”

None of the Gryffindor team could think of anything to say for a moment. Hannah felt an odd sensation like shame pooling up in her stomach and she almost wanted to hide her own Nimbus for fear of association. Draco was smirking so broadly his cold eyes were reduced to slits. 

“Oh, look,” Flint said. “A field invasion.” 

Ron and Hermione were crossing the grass to see what was going on. 

“What’s happening?” Ron asked Hannah and Harry. “Why aren’t you playing? And what’s _he_ doing here?” 

He looked over at Draco, taking in his Slytherin quidditch practice robes. 

“I’m the new Slytherin seeker, Weasley,” Draco said smugly. “Everyone’s been admiring the brooms my father’s bought our team.” 

Ron gaped, open-mouthed, at the seven superb broomsticks in front of him. Hannah came to his rescue as Draco’s sneer widened. 

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Hannah said with a cheeky smile, propping her broom up against her foot so the Slytherin team could see it and pushing down the embarrassing feeling in her gut. “It’s about the players on the broom, not the broom itself. And last time I checked, Slytherin’s team IQ pooled together is like 85 so…”

The Gryffindors snickered while the Slytherins sneered. Flint looked over Hannah’s insult and turned his gaze on her broom.

“Hmm,” Flint said, reaching out a hand to touch Hannah’s broom and grinning when she pulled it out of his reach. “At least one Gryffindor seemed to have a bit of money to their name.”

Flint turned his gaze on Hannah, looking her up and down and sneering. Hannah felt her sneer falter at the tone of his gaze, suddenly uncomfortable with the way he was staring. 

Draco laughed loudly. 

“Oh please, there’s no way _she’s_ got any _real_ money,” he sneered. “You should see the way her father dresses. He’d have to have stolen it.”

Hannah went to throw herself at Draco but Wood stuck an arm out to stop her and she crashed into it, still red with anger and counting to herself under her breath to stay calm. 

“No violence on the pitch,” Wood spat. “And she’s _twelve,_ Flint. Keep away,” Wood said, his arm now stuck out in front of Hannah in more of a protective manner. 

“I still have to say, they are good brooms,” Draco said in his drawling voice, calling the attention back to himself. “But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them.”

The Slytherin team howled with laughter. 

“At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to _buy_ their way in,” Hermione spat suddenly. _“They_ got in on pure talent.” 

The smug look on Draco’s face flickered. 

“No one asked your opinion,” he spat, “you filthy little mudblood.” 

Harry and Hermione knew at once that Draco had said something really bad because of the instant uproar that followed his words. Flint had to dive in front of Draco to stop Fred and George jumping on him, Wood had to return to bodily holding Hannah back as she was now screeching profanity and attempting to punch every part of Draco that she could reach, Angelina shrieked, _“How dare you?”,_ and Ron plunged his hand into his robes, pulled out his wand, yelling, “You’ll pay for that one, Malfoy!” as he pointed it furiously under Flint’s arm at Draco’s face. 

A loud bang echoed around the stadium and a jet of green light shot out of the wrong end of Ron’s wand, hitting him in the stomach and sending him reeling backward onto the grass.

“Ron! Ron! Are you alright?” Hermione squealed as she and Harry ran over towards him. Hannah stopped her struggle to get past Wood’s arm to run over to Ron and see what was wrong. 

Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, he gave an almighty belch and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth onto his lap. The Slytherin team was paralyzed with laughter. Flint was doubled over, hanging onto his new broomstick for support. Draco was on all fours, banging the ground with his fist. The Gryffindors were gathered around Ron, who kept belching large, glistening slugs. No one seemed to want to touch him except Hermione, who kept putting a tentative hand on his shoulder only to yank it back every time he burped. 

“We’d better get him to Hagrid’s, it’s nearest,” Harry said to Hermione and Hannah. Hermione nodded bravely before grabbing one of Ron’s arms and Hannah hesitated before going under the other, wanting to stay and beat the shit out of Draco, who was still rolling on the ground laughing. 

Harry walked in front of his two friends, leading them to the small hut in the distance. 

“What happened, Harry? What happened? Is he ill? But you can cure him, can’t you?” Colin had run down from his seat and was now dancing alongside them as they left the field. Ron gave a huge heave and more slugs dribbled down his front. 

“Oooh,” Colin said, fascinated and raising his camera. “Can you hold him still, Harry?” 

“Get out of the way, Colin!” Harry said angrily. Hannah and Hermione supported Ron out of the stadium until Ron gave another large belch and Hannah made Harry switch with her in fear of slugs getting on her new quidditch robes. She led them from there, heading across the grounds toward the edge of the forest. 

“Nearly there, Wormtail,” Hermione said as the gamekeeper’s cabin came into view. “You’ll be all right in a minute… almost there-” 

They were within twenty feet of Hagrid’s house when the front door opened, but it wasn’t Hagrid who emerged. Gilderoy Lockhart, wearing robes of palest mauve, came striding out. 

“Quick, behind here,” Harry hissed, dragging Ron behind a nearby bush. Hermione and Hannah followed, Hermione somewhat reluctantly.

“It’s a simple matter if you know what you’re doing!” Lockhart was saying loudly to Hagrid. “If you need help, you know where I am! I’ll let you have a copy of my book. I’m surprised you haven’t already got one… I’ll sign one tonight and send it over. Well, goodbye!” and he strode away toward the castle. Harry waited until Lockhart was out of sight, then pulled Ron out of the bush and up to Hagrid’s front door. Hannah ran ahead and knocked frantically. Hagrid appeared at once, looking very grumpy, but his expression brightened when he saw who it was. 

“Bin wonderin’ when you’d come ter see me- come in, come in… thought you mighta bin Professor Lockhart back again-”

Hannah was taken down immediately by Fang while Harry and Hermione supported Ron over the threshold into the one-roomed cabin, which had an enormous bed in one corner, a fire crackling merrily in the other. Hagrid didn’t seem perturbed by Ron’s slug problem, which Harry hastily explained as he lowered Ron into a chair. 

“Better out than in,” he said cheerfully, plunking a large copper basin in front of him. “Get ‘em all up, Ron."

“I don’t think there’s anything to do except wait for it to stop,” Hermione said anxiously, watching Ron bend over the basin. “That’s a difficult curse to work at the best of times, but with a broken wand-”

Hagrid was bustling around making them tea. Hermione sat down on the bed next to Ron to rub his back soothingly and Harry stood around awkwardly before taking a seat at the table. Hannah went and threw herself down in a chair, shaking with rage and pushing Fang off her as he attempted to get her to pet him. Hannah hadn’t been this angry in a while. Now that the initial shock was over and they’d gotten Ron taken care of, the true reality of what had happened set in. What Draco had called Hermione… Hannah felt her vision blur and she took a deep breath, counting to ten with her eyes closed. It helped a little, but the anger still boiled inside her chest and she felt almost sick to her stomach. She wanted to run and hit something… preferably Draco. She tried to calm herself down but her hands still shook and she could not seem to focus on anything else besides what it would feel like to rip that blonde hair out of his head. 

“What did Lockhart want with you, Hagrid?” Harry asked, not noticing Hannah’s crisis. 

“Givin’ me advice on gettin’ kelpies out of a well,” Hagrid growled as he moved a half-plucked rooster off his scrubbed table and set down a teapot. “Like I don’t know. An’ bangin’ on about some banshee he banished. If one word of it was true, I’ll eat my kettle.”

This got Hannah’s attention. It was most unlike Hagrid to criticize a Hogwarts teacher, and Harry and Hannah looked at him in surprise. Hermione, however, said in a voice somewhat higher than usual, “I think you’re being a bit unfair. Professor Dumbledore obviously thought he was the best man for the job-”

“He was the _only_ man for the job,” Hagrid said as he offered them a plate of treacle fudge. Ron coughed squelchily into his basin and the other three had a hard time finding their appetites. “An’ I mean the only one. Gettin’ very difficult ter find anyone for the Dark Arts job. People aren’t too keen ter take it on, see. They’re startin’ ter think its jinxed. No one’s lasted for a while now. So tell me,” Hagrid said, jerking his head at Ron. “Who was he tryin’ to curse?” 

“Malfoy,” Hannah answered immediately, still sitting in the chair pushing Fang away with her arms crossed. She could feel the anger that had gone down at the change of conversation start to boil in her chest again. “He called… well he called Hermione…”

Hannah grimaced and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Harry and Hermione frowned at her. They knew that the term Draco had called Hermione had to have been really bad… everyone had gone wild. But Hannah looked so uneasy repeating the word that they realized it might have been even more serious than they thought. 

“He called Hermione a _mudblood_ ,” Hannah spat out, tears welling up in her eyes for her friend. She was going to kill Draco… so much for that promise to Remus. But if she told him that Draco had called Hermione that, he’d probably understand. 

Hagrid looked outraged. 

“He didn’!” He growled at Hermione.

“He did,” Hermione replied. “But I don’t know what it means. I could tell it was really rude, of course-”

“It’s about the most insulting thing he could think of,” gasped Ron as he came up from his bucket. “Mudblood’s a really foul name for someone who is Muggle-born… you know, non-magic parents. There are some wizards… like Malfoy’s family… who think they’re better than everyone else because they’re what people call ‘pureblood’.” He gave a small burp, and a single slug fell into his outstretched hand. He threw it into the basin and continued, “I mean, the rest of us know it doesn’t make any difference at all. Look at Neville Longbottom… he’s pureblood and he can hardly stand a cauldron the right way up.” 

“It doesn’t matter in the slightest who your family is,” Hannah said more calmly now that they’d begun to talk it out. “If you’ve got magic, you belong here. Purebloods just put themselves up on a pedestal to feel more important. It’s old-fashion and _stupid_. And if I ever hear Malfoy say that word again I’ll stick my foot so far up his ass, he’ll taste rubber for a week-”

“Okay, okay,” Hagrid said with his hands up as Harry and Ron laughed and Hermione gave a weak chuckle. “Watch the language.” 

But they could tell he was smiling under his beard.

“But really it has no bearing at all,” Hannah said to Hermione, who was now looking a bit upset now that she’d found out the meaning of the slur. “I mean, like Ron said. Ron’s pureblood and he still doesn’t know one side of his wand from the other.”

Ron threw a slug at her and Hannah shrieked and jumped away. 

“It _backfired_ you-” Ron started to say but Hagrid interrupted. 

“An’ they haven’t invented a spell our Hermione can’ do,” he said proudly, making blood rush into Hermione’s face. 

“It’s a disgusting thing to call someone,” Ron said, wiping his sweaty brow with a shaking hand. “Dirty blood, see. Common blood. It’s ridiculous. Most wizards these days are half-blood anyway. If we hadn’t married Muggles we’d’ve died out.” 

He retched and ducked out of sight again. 

“Not all of us,” Hannah said as she sat back down in her chair. “Next time you look at Malfoy, just think about how bloody inbred he is. Pureblood families like that marry their cousins all the time.” 

“Gross,” Hermione snickered. 

“Well, I don’t blame yeh fer tryin’ ter curse him, Ron,” Hagrid said loudly over the thuds of more slugs hitting the basin. “Bu’ maybe it was a good thing yer wand backfired. ‘Spect Lucius Malfoy would’ve come marchin’ up to the school if yeh’d cursed his son. Least yer not in trouble.”

Harry would have pointed out that trouble didn’t come much worse than having slugs pouring out of your mouth, but he couldn’t; Hagrid’s treacle fudge had cemented his jaws together. 

“Harry,” Hagrid said abruptly as though struck by a sudden thought. “Gotta bone ter pick with yeh. I’ve heard you’ve bin given’ out signed photos. How come I haven’t got one?” 

The other three laughed as furious, Harry wrenched his teeth apart. 

“I have _not_ been giving out signed photos,” he said hotly. “If Lockhart’s still spreading that around-” 

But then he saw that Hagrid was laughing as well. 

“I’m only jokin’,” he said, patting Harry genially on the back and sending him face-first into the table. “I knew yeh hadn’t really. I told Lockhart yeh didn’ need teh. Yer more famous than him without tryin’.” 

“Bet he didn’t like that,” Harry said, sitting up and rubbing his chin. 

“Don’ think he did,” Hagrid said happily. “An’ then I told him I’d never read one o’ his books an’ he decided ter go. Treacle fudge, Ron?” he added as Ron reappeared. 

“No thanks,” Ron said weakly. “Better not risk it.” 

“Come an’ see what I’ve bin growin’,” Hagrid said when Hannah, Hermione, and Harry finished the last of their tea. They followed him out to the small vegetable patch behind his house. There were a dozen of the largest pumpkins the marauders had ever seen lined in a neat row. Each was the size of a large boulder. 

“Gettin’ on well, aren’t they?” Hagrid said happily. “Fer the Halloween feast… should be big enough by then.” 

“What’ve you been feeding them?” Harry asked. Hagrid looked over his shoulder to check that they were alone. 

“Well, I’ve been givin’ them… you know… a bit o’ help.”

They noticed Hagrid’s flowery pink umbrella leaning up against the back wall of the cabin. Harry had reason to believe before now that this umbrella was not all it looked; in fact, he had the strong impression that Hagrid’s old school wand was concealed inside it. Hagrid wasn’t supposed to use magic since he had been expelled in his third year. Harry had never found out why… any mention of the matter and Hagrid would clear his throat loudly and become mysteriously deaf until the subject was changed. The other three had noticed this about Hagrid as well. 

“An engorgement charm, I suppose?” Hermione said, halfway between disapproval and amusement. “Well, you’ve done a good job with them.”

“That’s what yer little sister said,” Hagrid said, nodding at Ron. “Met her jus’ yesterday,” Hagrid looked sideways at Harry and his beard twitched. “Said she was jus’ lookin’ round the grounds, but I reckon she was hopin’ she might run inter someone else at my house.” He winked at Harry. “If yeh ask me, she wouldn’ say no ter a signed-” 

“Oh, shut up,” Harry said as Hannah and Hermione broke out into a fit of giggles and Hagrid chuckled happily. Ron snorted with laughter and the ground was sprayed with slugs. 

“Watch it!” Hagrid roared as he pulled Ron away from his precious pumpkins.

It was nearly lunchtime and as Harry and Hannah had only had a bit of treacle fudge each since dawn, they rushed their friends up to the school when the lunch bell rang. After saying goodbye to Hagrid, they trooped up to the school together, Ron hiccoughing occasionally, but only bringing up two very small slugs. They barely had a foot in the entrance hall when a voice rang out, “There you are, Potter… Weasley.” Professor McGonagall was walking toward them when a stern expression on her face. “You will both do your detentions this evening.” 

Hannah and Hermione hung around awkwardly to hear. 

“What’re we doing, Professor?” Ron said, nervously suppressing a burp. 

“You will be polishing the silver in the trophy room with Mr. Filch,” Professor McGonagall said. “And no magic, Weasley… elbow grease.” 

Ron gulped.

“And you, Potter, will be helping Professor Lockhart answer his fan mail,” Professor McGonagall said. Hannah smirked and leaned over to whisper in Hermione’s ear. 

“Any chance you’re one of those letters, Moony?” 

Hermione rolled her eyes and bumped Hannah with her shoulder. 

“Oh n-... Professor, can’t I go and do the trophy room, too?” Harry asked desperately. 

“Certainly not,” Professor McGonagall said with a raised eyebrow. “Professor Lockhart requested you specifically. Eight o’clock sharp, both of you.” 

Harry and Ron slouched into the Great Hall in states of deepest gloom, Hermione and Hannah behind them, Hermione wearing a well-you-did-break-the-school-rules sort of expression and Hannah trying to hide an amused smirk.

Harry didn’t enjoy his shepherd's pie as much as he thought, and Ron only ate half his normal amount of food. Both of them felt they’d gotten the worse deal. 

“Filch’ll have me there all night,” Ron said heavily. “No magic! There must be a hundred cups in that room. I’m no good at muggle cleaning.” 

“I’d swap anytime,” Harry said in a hollow voice. “I’ve had loads of practice with the Dursleys. Answering Lockhart’s fan mail… he’ll be a nightmare…” 

Harry felt his problems were a bit more extensive than Ron’s. Talking to Lockhart and being in his class was one thing… being locked alone in a room with him was quite another. Harry didn’t even know what his feelings were about Lockhart. All he knew was he made him sweaty, angry, and confused, all things that did not help when you were dealing with a difficult person. 

Saturday afternoon seemed to melt away, and in what seemed like no time, Hannah and Hermione were sitting in their favorite comfy chintz armchairs, Hannah with Gizmo snuggled into her lap, watching Harry and Ron drag their feet to the portrait hole. Harry and Ron separated after a few minutes, and sooner than he would’ve liked, Harry was gritting his teeth and knocking on Lockhart’s door. It flew open at once and Harry felt a swooping sensation in his gut as Lockhart beamed down at him. 

“Ah, here’s the scalawag!” he said. “Come in, Harry, come in-” 

Shining brightly on the walls by the light of many candles were countless framed photographs of Lockhart. He had even signed a few of them, and a large pile lay on his desk. Surrounded by the face he only wanted to escape from, Harry immediately got hot and even more irritated. 

“You can address the envelopes!” Lockhart told Harry, as though this was a huge treat. “This first one’s Gladys Gudgeon, bless her… huge fan of mine…” 

Harry almost tripped over his feet as Lockhart placed a hand on his back and led him over to his desk. Harry sat down, trying to ignore how close Lockhart was along with attempting to ignore the loud thumping of his heart he was sure Lockhart could hear. 

The minutes snailed by. Harry let Lockhart’s voice wash over him, occasionally saying, “Mmm” and “Right” and “Yeah”. Now and then he caught a phrase like, “Fame’s a fickle friend, Harry,” or “Celebrity is as celebrity does, remember that.” Harry let his mind wander to other things in an attempt to ward off Lockhart, and found himself thinking a great deal about Hannah on the quidditch pitch. How he wished they hadn’t had to leave practice…

The candles burned lower and lower, making the light dance over the many moving faces of Lockhart watching him that he was determinedly ignoring. Harry moved his aching hand over what felt like the thousandth envelope, writing out Veronica Smethly’s address. It must be nearly time to leave, Harry thought miserably. Please let it be nearly time...

Meanwhile, Hannah and Hermione sat comfortably in the common room. They’d finished the little amount of homework that they’d gotten and were now relatively bored waiting for the boys to come back and watching the common room empty.

“They must be done by now,” Hannah said as she stroked Gizmo’s fuzzy head and looked up at Hermione, who had her nose buried once again in Voyages with Vampires. "Will you pay attention to me?" Hannah said as she knocked the book out of Hermione's hands and glared at her friend. "I've had nothing to do all day, I'm about to claw my eyes out!"

"Why don't you go to bed?" Hermione smirked.

"I'm not tired!" Hannah yelled and Hermione snickered as she picked her book back up off the floor. Hannah watched her with a frown. 

"Ugh!" Hannah exclaimed as she threw her head back dramatically and slouched to the floor from her chair. "I'm gonna die, Moony. You're killing me." 

"How am I killing you?" Hermione said without taking her eyes away from her book. 

"You won't do stuff. You just look at that book all day," Hannah pouted. Hermione looked down at the floor to her friend.

"You know, you typically like reading. Why can't you just do it with me?" Hermione asked.

"Only when I've exercised!" Hannah said. "And Prongs and Wormtail were too busy pouting to do anything fun today!" 

"Wow, I feel _so_ bad for you," Hermione said sarcastically. 

"Can we go and meet them?" Hannah said in almost a whisper.

"Absolutely not," Hermione snapped.

"Oh, come on, Moony! We have the map! We can just go meet them by the classrooms, yeah? Maybe cause a distraction and get them out early," Hannah said. 

"I am not helping you do that," Hermione said firmly. Hannah sat up on her elbows and glared at Hermione. She took a deep breath before speaking. 

"Oh, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, pl-" 

"Oh, my god, whatever she wants, give it to her!" a fifth year Gryffindor yelled from the other side of the room. Hannah grinned at them as Hermione sighed and began to stand up. 

"Fine, but I'm holding the map," Hermione ordered. Hannah jumped to her feet beside her and followed her to the portrait hole with a grin. "And we are not breaking them out of anywhere! We'll just go and meet them and walk them back." 

"That's perfect," Hannah said as she placed Gizmo in Ginny's lap, causing her to smile and begin to pet the puffskein, and handed Hermione the map. She opened it with a few choice words and they took the path to Lockhart's room first, thinking they were less likely to be reprimanded by him if he saw them standing outside the door. Hermione held the map out in front of her, taking different turns to avoid patrolling professors. Soon she stopped in her tracks, staring at the bathroom of the hallway they needed to go down to meet Harry. Hannah, who had been walking behind her calmly humming to herself, snapped her head back around to Hermione and went and looked over her shoulder at the map.

"What's wrong?" Hannah whispered.

"There's a group of people in that bathroom ahead of us," Hermione whispered back, pointing to the small clump of names in the girl's toilets. Hannah squinted her eyes at the names. 

"This late?" Hannah said. "Well, they're not teachers, we can just walk past. They can't tell on us if we could tell on them." 

Hermione nodded absentmindedly, and the two girls started to walk towards the bathroom. As they got closer, they heard what sounded like muffled yells and giggles. Exchanging a look, they got closer. They were just at the door when they heard a muffled cry of 'stop it!'. Hannah immediately ran into the bathroom, followed by Hermione who was folding up the map and taking out her wand. 

They flew in the room and saw two older girls clad in Ravenclaw practice robes, giggling to themselves and pressing their backs against a door that was bumping against them. One of them was holding a small notebook and was tearing pages out of it one by one and throwing them over into the bathroom stall. Hannah and Hermione could hear the yells and sobs that were coming from inside it. 

"What are you doing?" Hannah asked angrily as the Ravenclaw girls looked over at her. One of them was short and squat with white skin and pale blonde hair and the other was darker, with her black hair pulled back in two braids on her head. They both wore identical sneers. 

"Minding our business," the blonde one said as she tore another page out of the notebook and threw it into the stall behind her. They all heard the sob that came from inside when its inhabitance saw the paper fall. 

"Doesn't look like it," Hermione snapped and the other two just smiled wider. 

"We're just protecting _our_ bathroom," the black-haired girl said. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hannah asked. 

"This little perv keeps trying to use it. We found him in this stall with this notebook on our way back from practice," the blonde answered. 

"You were looking in someone else's stall but they're the perv?" Hannah snapped. She could feel anger balling up in her chest. The other two girls looked taken aback by her response. 

"There's a boy in the girl's restroom," the blonde snapped. "That doesn't bother you?" 

"If they're using it to read a notebook, no, not so much," Hermione replied. 

"It's not a group project, you know," Hannah added. "People typically keep to themselves when they use the restroom." 

The Ravenclaw girls were beginning to look angry. 

"Shut up, loopy," the dark-haired one spat. 

"Get out of here," the blonde said. "There's a _freak_ in our bathroom. This doesn't concern you." 

After everything with Draco, missing practice, and Harry and Ron having detention, the 'loopy' in itself would've been enough for Hannah. Unfortunately for the Ravenclaw girls, as the blonde spat out the word 'freak', a sob came from inside the stall again, and Hannah saw red. Before Hermione could stop her, Hannah jumped on the blonde, tightening her fists in her hair and dragging her to the ground with one pull. The other was shocked for a split second before turning to jump on Hannah and sinking a fist into her mouth. All three girls had forgotten their wands in their anger. But fortunately for Hannah, Hermione had not. She sent the dark-haired girl flying back with a simple bat-bogey hex, screaming and attempting to swat the large bogeys that had flown out of her nose and were now attacking her. Free from the other girl's punches, Hannah flipped the blonde over and punch her directly in the eye, causing her to grunt in pain. 

"Hannah, stop!" Hermione yelled but Hannah did not listen, her anger getting the better of her once more. Hermione ran over and pulled Hannah off by the shoulders, ignoring her attempts to get back to the blonde. "If you don't stop, I'm going to curse you!" Hermione said shrilly, and Hannah stopped her fighting and panted heavily in Hermione's arms. 

The dark-haired girl had gotten rid of her bogeys. She bent over and pulled her friend off the ground, and they both glared at the two Gryffindors. The blonde's eye was already starting to swell, and her hair was matted at the top from Hannah's fists. 

_"Psycho,"_ the dark-haired girl muttered as she led her friend out of the bathroom. Hermione and Hannah waited a few seconds to make sure no teachers had heard the commotion before speaking. 

"You can't _do_ that, Hannah!" Hermione said as she let her friend drop to the floor. Hannah's normally silky black hair was frizzed and blown out at the side from where the dark-haired girl had grabbed her, and she was sporting a bloody lip along with bruised knuckles. 

"I'm sorry," Hannah panted as she studied the ground. "I don't know what happened." 

Hermione was about to open her mouth to lecture some more when the bathroom door opened and they saw a pair of large silvery-blue eyes peer out at them. Both girls gave a start; they were rather unnerving and they'd almost completely forgotten about why they were fighting in the first place. 

"Hello," Hermione said kindly as she regained her composure. "Are you alright?" 

The stall door swung all the way open. Standing there, staring at them, was a small pale girl with even paler blonde hair. She had very large eyes that flickered back and forth to Hannah and Hermione. She had very long hair that reached her waist, and though she was wearing a skirt and tights, her frame, yet small, was masculine. Her chest was flat and shoulders broad, with knobbly knees and long fingers. She had a small stack of torn papers clutched in her hand and her face was streaked with tears. She had only one shoe on. 

"Is she?" the girl asked in a high voice, pointing to Hannah who was still sitting on the floor bleeding onto the tile. 

"I'm fine," Hannah answered immediately. "Are you?" 

The pale girl smiled and walked over to her, surprising them both by throwing herself down on the ground and sitting criss-cross next to Hannah. She looked up at Hermione and patted the ground next to her. Hermione hesitated but then went and sat down where the girl wanted her to. She smiled when Hermione had taken her seat, then turned back to Hannah. 

"Oh, yes, I'm alright," the pale girl said. "They've been rather rude but so has everyone else. Thank you for attacking them, although I wish it didn't have to be so violent. It was very brave of you, I suppose that's why you're in Gryffindor?" 

"Might have something to do with it," Hannah answered with a smirk. 

"I'm sorry they're rude to you," Hermione said. "Is this your notebook?" she was holding up a small, worn, black-bound book, that had almost half the pages missing. The girl's face fell when she saw it. 

"Oh, yes, I'm afraid so. It was my mother's, actually. She's passed away now but she was a very experimental witch and that notebook held some of her more successful spells." the pale girl said. 

"I'm so sorry," Hannah said sadly. 

"It's not your fault," the girl answered. Hannah and Hermione were rather taken aback by this response, but Hermione cleared her throat after a few seconds and carried on. 

"Are those the pages for it?" Hermione asked, pointing to the torn pages in the girl's hand. "I could fix it for you if you like."

"Could you?" the girl said, sounding delighted. "Oh, that would be wonderful!" 

She handed the pages to Hermione and helped her arrange them so they were in order. Hermione set to work, telling the girl it might not be perfect but she'd try her best. She thanked her repeatedly. 

"What's your name?" Hannah asked the girl once she'd settled back on the floor. 

"Luna Lovegood," she answered. "And yours?" 

"Hannah Lupin," Hannah said. Luna nodded.

"And yours?" she repeated to Hermione. 

"Hermione Granger," she answered without taking her eyes away from sticking the pages back to the binding. 

"Very pretty names," Luna said. "I've heard of both of you, of course, you're friends with Harry Potter." 

It was not a question. 

"Yup, that's us," Hannah smirked. Luna nodded at her. 

"Do you know they call you loopy?" she asked bluntly. Hannah turned a delicate shade of red. 

"Oh, yeah. Just a play on my last name," Hannah answered. 

"Yes, they do that with my name too, only they call me loony," Luna said calmly. "It's still only my first few days here. I don't understand why people don't like me much, but I suppose it might have something to do with me using the girl's loo." 

Hannah and Hermione looked up at her sadly. Luna did not seem to be bothered much by what she'd just told them, in fact, she was humming to herself while looking around the room. 

"I'm sorry that's happening to you," Hannah said. "It's not fair. And you should keep using the girl's loo if that's what you want to do." 

"Well of course it's what I want to do," Luna said with a high laugh. "I can't go into the boy's loo, I'm a girl!" 

"Y-you are a girl?" Hermione asked tentatively. Luna smiled at her.

"Yes," she answered at the same time Hannah said it. Luna beamed at Hannah and she smiled back. Hannah had seen many pictures of Dorcas Meadowes in her home, and Remus had always taken the time to explain the different options about what she could do with her gender if she chose to. Hannah knew exactly what a trans woman was, and she made it her job right then and there to protect Luna from anyone else that would attempt to bother her. 

"There you go," Hermione said happily as she handed the notebook back to Luna. 

"Oh, thank you!" Luna exclaimed. "I was rather upset about it, you know." 

There was absolutely no way for either of the girls to tell if Luna was upset or not, so they just smiled at her as she flicked through her fixed pages. 

"I couldn't help but read a few things while I was fixing it, and I must say, your mother was a very smart witch," Hermione said to Luna. 

"Yes, she was," Luna answered. They were all silent for a second as Luna examined her book. 

"Let us walk you back to your dorm," Hannah said kindly. "So you don't get caught out past curfew." 

"Thank you!" Luna said and she jumped to her feet and led them towards the door. Hermione pulled out the map and peered at it now and then to make sure they didn't run into anyone. 

"You know, I really do despise this curfew," Luna said as they walked. "I've never been able to keep track of the time very well." 

The other girls just nodded, as they did not know exactly how to respond. Luna led them to a spiral staircase and they walked up in tight, dizzying circles until they reached a landing and stepped out onto it. Luna led them to a small door in the center of the hallway, that had no handle and no keyhole, only a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. Hannah and Hermione exchanged a look as Luna knocked. The eagle opened its mouth, but instead of letting her in, it asked a question. 

"I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?" the eagle asked. Hannah and Hermione knew that Ravenclaws had to answer a riddle to enter their dorms from reading Hogwarts: A History, but it still seemed odd to them as they watched Luna take a step back and think. 

"Ooh, I know!" Luna said after a few seconds. "A map! Like the one you guys have," she said to Hannah and Hermione. Luna smiled as the door swung open and Hannah and Hermione paled. "Don't worry, I won't tell. See you guys later!" 

"Bye, Luna," Hannah and Hermione said in unison. The door shut behind their new friend and they stood there for a second before beginning to walk back to their tower. 

"I thought you were hiding that so she couldn't see!" Hannah said as Hermione took out the map to look for trouble. 

"I thought I was too! I've got no idea how she saw it," Hermione answered. The two girls walked in silence for a second until Hermione cleared her throat. 

"So, she's a girl?" Hermione asked tentatively. Hannah just smiled, staying patient for her friend since she knew she probably did not know. 

"If she wants to be," Hannah answered. "Some people aren't born with what they need. She's just being herself." 

"Oh," Hermione said.

"Do you understand?" Hannah asked.

"Well, not fully. But I can respect that. And I know its nobody's business but hers," Hermione answered. 

"Agreed," Hannah said. They were silent for another few seconds. 

"Are we going back to Gryffindor tower?" Hermione asked. Hannah shrugged. 

"I suppose so, the boys are probably already back and asleep," Hannah said and Hermione agreed, so they continued their walk up to the tower. 

But Harry was still wishing it was time to go. His hand flew across the many different addresses in anticipation to finish all the mail so he could leave. He'd long since stopped worrying about being trapped in the room with Lockhart, as he was too tired to give a damn what the twisting feeling in his stomach meant. And then he heard something... something quite different from the spitting of the dying candles and Lockhart's prattle about his fans. 

It was a voice, a voice to chill to the bone marrow, a voice of breath-taking, ice-cold venom. 

_"Come... come to me... let me rip you... let me tear you... let me kill you..."_

Harry gave a huge jump and a large lilac blot appeared on Annie Atwood's street name. 

"What?" he said loudly. 

"I know!" Lockhart said. "Six months at the top of the best-seller list! Broke all records!" 

"No," Harry said frantically. "That voice!" 

"Sorry?" Lockhart said, looking puzzled. "What voice?" 

"That... that voice that said... didn't you hear it?" 

Lockhart was looking at Harry in high astonishment. 

"What _are_ you talking about, Harry? Perhaps you're getting a little drowsy? Great Scott... look at the time! We've been here for nearly four hours! I'd never have believed it... the time's flown, hasn't it?" 

Harry didn't answer. He was straining his ears to hear the voice again, but there was no sound now except for Lockhart telling him he mustn't expect a treat like this every time he got detention. Feeling dazed so dazed he didn't even feel Lockhart patting him on the shoulder, Harry left. 

Harry entered the Gryffindor common room just as he saw the tail of Hannah and Hermione's robes disappear into the staircase leading towards the girl's dormitory. 

"Wait!" Harry yelled and he ran after them, getting them to stop from his commotion and look back at him. 

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "We thought you were already in bed!"

"I wish," Harry muttered nervously. "No- I just got back from Lockhart's room... but let me tell you-" 

They found a seat in one of the far corners so they could talk privately. Harry told them all about what he'd heard. 

"It could've been a ghost," Hannah said at once. Hermione shook her head. 

"But Lockhart didn't hear it, he said. It wouldn't have just whispered in Prongs' ear." 

"I don't know what it was, but it scared the shit out of me," Harry said. He was still shaking. 

"Hey, calm down," Hannah said as she grabbed one of Harry's hands with her own. If anything, this made Harry more nervous. "I'm sure it was nothing. Why don't you go wake Ron and tell him, too? I'm sure he'll say the same." 

"Yeah, yeah, alright," Harry said. The other two smiled and nodded at him as they walked over to their separate hallways and said goodnight. Hannah washed the blood off her face when she got upstairs, thanking Harry for being so worked up that he hadn't noticed. Hannah was embarrassed about letting her emotions get the best of her, and was happy that only Hermione and Luna had seen her act out. She climbed back in bed, snuggling Gizmo, who had been sitting on her pillow, undoubtedly left there by Ginny. 

Back in the boy's dormitory, Ron wasn't even back yet. Harry pulled on his pajamas, got into bed, and waited. About fifteen minutes later, Ron arrived, nursing his right arm and bringing a strong smell of polish into the darkened room. 

"My muscles have all seized up," he groaned, sinking on his bed. "Fourteen times he made me buff up that Quidditch cup before he was satisfied. And then I had another slug attack all over a Special Award for Services to the School. Took ages to get the slime off... How was it with Lockhart?" 

Keeping his voice low so as not to wake Neville, Dean, and Seamus, Harry told Ron exactly what he'd told the girls. 

"And Lockhart said he couldn't hear it?" Ron said. Harry could see him frowning in the moonlight. "D'you think he was lying? But I don't get it... even someone invisible would've had to open the door." 

"Hannah thinks it might have been a ghost," Harry said and Ron nodded. 

"True, that's good," Ron said. "And Lockhart was just too busy talking about himself to notice." 

"Yeah," Harry said, lying back in his four-poster and staring at the canopy above him. "Maybe." 

** 

_**September 1980** _

**Remus, Lily, and Marlene all sat in the Potter's small cramped living room, listening to one of Lily and Remus' favorite records and talking happily. Marlene held a swaddled Hannah in her lap, smiling at her as she traced her fingers over the baby's eyebrows and nose as she slept. It was the first time in a while that they'd all gotten to be together, with all their separate missions for the order sending them to different places and pushing them apart. Lily and James had arranged what used to be a normal get-together with quite a lot of anticipation, anxious to see their friends again.**

**_‘Oh! Darling, please believe me_ **

**_I'll never do you no harm_ **

**_Believe me when I tell you_ **

**_I'll never do you no harm’_ **

**"So how have things been with Hannah and Sirius?" Lily asked Remus. "I feel like we haven't spoken in so long. I miss you, Rem."**

**Remus smiled at Lily as he looked into her bright green eyes.**

**"I miss you too, Lils. Things have been alright. I mean, a baby is a lot of work but I think we're handling it okay. What about you and James?" Remus said.**

**"Oh, it's been alright. Nothing I haven't put into a letter," Lily replied. "Harry's just wonderful. He really is the most well-behaved baby I've ever seen."**

**As if on cue, Hannah started to fuss in Marlene's arms. Lily and Remus laughed.**

**"And here you are," Marlene said as she handed the crying Hannah over to Remus, who smiled as he took her. "She's so cute until she does that."  
**

**"Oh, trust me, I know," Remus laughed. He hadn't been lying to Lily, they'd really been doing alright. Sirius was everything that Remus had imagined he'd be, and not once did he let him down when it came to taking care of Hannah. If Remus ever got distracted in his cares, Sirius was always there to ask him if he was alright and try to pull him out of his funk. The fulls with Fenrir and the rest of the werewolves that Dumbledore had assigned him to were almost worth it as his only mission when he got to come home and see his family.**

**Sitting out on the back porch, were Sirius, James, Peter, and Dorcas. Sirius had Harry sleeping comfortably in his arms as he talked to James and the rest of his friends. He was in an extraordinarily good mood. He hadn't gotten to see James in so long, it almost physically hurt him to be away from the Potters. That on top of James' parents dying from Dragon Pox the month before, Sirius and James had needed each other. When Sirius and Remus had entered the house, James and Sirius had hugged in what Lily called a 'dramatic' fashion, but she and Remus knew how much the two friends had been missing each other.**

**"I swear it still feels like some sort of fever dream," James said as he set down his beer can.**

**"What does?" Sirius asked with a grin. James grinned back.**

**"Fuck, living with _Lily_ ," James answered. **

**"Are you serious?" Dorcas laughed.**

**"No, I-" Sirius started but Peter, Dorcas, and James all cut him off with a yell. Laughing, Sirius held back his overplayed joke.**

**"No, but really," Dorcas started back. "You guys have been together for a while now. Why is that so hard to process?"**

**"Because, my good friend Meadowes," James started. "Lily Evans is the definition of absolute perfection. Do you know what living with perfection feels like?"**

**"Actually, yes," Dorcas said. "I live with Marlene."**

**James swatted his hand in the air like he was trying to kill a fly.**

**"Don't you mean Lily Potter?" Peter said.**

**"Oh my," James said, his eyes getting wide. "I mean Lily _Potter!"_ **

**"Great Godric, I thought you'd be done fangirling over her by now," Sirius laughed. "You've got a bloody kid with her."**

**"All the more reason, my friend," James smirked.**

**"I thought you two would be clawing each other's eyes out by now," Dorcas said. "I mean you're pretty much in the house together all day, right?"**

**"Yeah," James said, his voice turning sour. "Dumbledore's stopped sending both of us on missions. No idea why, when Moony and Pads get them all the time."**

**"Moony only gets one once a month," Sirius said. "But he sends me out almost every week."**

**"Fucking stupid," James muttered. "I'm just as good as you are. And Lils is even better."**

**"I suppose he just wants you two to be able to watch Harry," Peter suggested.**

**"He doesn't do it for Moony and Pads, though," James answered. Peter just shrugged.**

**"I dunno, maybe he thinks one of you is the spy," Peter said. The atmosphere at the table dropped from friendly to gloomy. It was clear Peter did not mean his theory, but the reminder of a spy among the order pushed all their happy feelings back down.**

**"I doubt it," James said frostily. "Dunno who he suspects but I don't think it's any of us."**

**"We don't know that," Peter said quietly.**

**"You got a theory, Wormtail?" Sirius asked. Peter suddenly looked nervous.**

**"Well... yeah," he said.**

**"Spit it out, then," Dorcas said and Peter sighed.  
**

**"I mean, if it's any of us, it's got to be Remus, right?"**

**The other three were dumbstruck for a split second.**

**"Bloody hell, we asked you who you think Dumbledore suspects, not you," Dorcas snapped.**

**"James, take Harry," Sirius said as he tried to hand the boy back to his father.**

**"P-Padfoot I-I-" Peter stuttered.**

**"Sirius, stop it," James snapped. "I'll take Harry but you need to sit in your seat. Pete's just talking."**

**"Just _talking_ ," Sirius exclaimed. "Talking about the father of my child being the fucking spy!" **

**"Calm down, Sirius," James barked. "I don't agree with it but we're not fighting the one time we get to see each other!"**

**Sirius sat back in his seat, clutching Harry to his chest and panting with anger.**

**"Padfoot, I-" Peter started.**

**"Shut the fuck up," Sirius snapped.**

**"Stop!" James said. He made Sirius take a deep breath with him before speaking again. "Now, Pete, what do you mean, andSiriusstayquiet!" James snapped as Sirius opened his mouth again.**

**Peter took a deep breath as well.**

**“I just mean… Remus is the only one that has reason to work with You-Know-Who,” Peter said.**

**“And what is that supposed to mean?” Sirius growled.**

**“Well, he’s a werewolf. And they’ve got him working with other werewolves. I mean it’s animalistic, right? What if they’ve turned him over?” Peter said.**

**“I should crush your tiny head just for suggesting-”**

**“Stop it, Pads,” James said.**

**“Don’t tell me you believe this shit?” Sirius barked.**

**“Of course I don’t,” James replied. “But I’m still going to hear out every option. We’re both fathers now, Sirius. We’ve got to do what’s best for our kids.”**

**“Remus is a father, too!” Sirius almost shouted.**

**“I know!” James shouted back. “I’m talking about us! We need to explore every option. I’d suspect Lily if I wasn’t with her every second of the day!”**

**“You would not-”**

**“I promise you, I would,” James said. “Harry comes first. Above everything else. You know you feel the same way about Hannah.”**

**Sirius sighed but remained quiet.**

**“Exactly,” James said. “Now, Pete, do you have any other reasons, or is that it?”**

**“I mean, that’s all,” Peter said. “I just think we should think about it.”**

**“I can’t believe we’re talking about this,” Dorcas spat. “I trust Remus with my life. This is bullshit.”**

**And she got up and walked away.**

**“If she doesn’t have to talk about this, I don’t either,” Sirius said as he stood up and handed Harry to James. “I’m going to the kitchen. Hungry anyway.”**

**And he walked away as well, taking care to bump into Peter’s chair as he passed him.** **James sighed as he watched Sirius' retreating back. He opened the door to inside and they heard Lily's music playing.**

**_‘Oh! Darling, if you leave me_ **

**_I'll never make it alone_ **

**_Believe me when I beg you, ooh_ **

**_Don't ever leave me alone’_ **

**"Ah, shit** **, Pete," James said absentmindedly. Peter shifted in his seat like he was uncomfortable.**

******

**Later that night, Remus and Sirius were alone in the kitchen of their small blue cottage, having just put Hannah to bed they had enough time to microwave some leftovers from the Potter's house and eat them before going to bed. They talked happily about getting to see their friends again, and Sirius found he could not bring himself to tell Remus what Peter had said. Knowing his boyfriend, it would ruin his entire outlook on life, and with all the stress from everything else surrounding him, he'd have a rough full moon. Sirius wouldn't let that happen. Unfortunately, he also couldn't help but think about the evidence Peter had given. As much as Sirius trusted Remus, his partner had been dealt a bad hand in life and if Voldemort was offering him more, Sirius would have to understand if Remus took it.**

**It would rip their family apart, but he'd have to understand.**

**"Are you alright, love?" Remus asked Sirius as he grew quiet while they ate.**

**"Oh, what? Yeah, I'm fine, just tired," Sirius answered. Remus smiled and went back to his food.**

**"Uhh, what about you?" Sirius asked.**

**"I beg your pardon?" Remus said.**

**"Are you alright? You seem... distant," Sirius lied. In truth, he wanted to see if Remus would give him any reason to believe Peter's words.**

**"Distant?" Remus laughed. "I didn't mean to. I dunno, just tired as well, I suppose."**

**Sirius smiled at him.**

**"Alright," he said quietly. "I love you."**

**"I love you too," Remus replied happily.**

**Later that night, Sirius lay awake next to Remus and Hannah. Hannah's small body was curled up on Remus' side like she always was, and Sirius took his time looking over the picture of his boyfriend and daughter. He felt a strong feeling well up in his chest and a sob almost escaped him.**

**The moonlight lit up their faces, and Sirius could see every scar and every freckle on Remus' long, thin frame. He studied the way his chest rose in time with Hannah's as they slept deeply. He looked at the curves of Remus' eyebrows, and the bump on the bridge of his nose that Remus hated. Sirius reached over and brushed his tawny curls off of his forehead, and Remus huffed in his sleep. Sirius scooted closer in the bed towards them and looked down at Hannah as well, tracing his finger along her cheeks and nose. Hannah reached up with a chubby fist and grabbed Sirius' finger, holding it to her small body. Sirius smiled and closed his eyes.**

**No, Sirius thought to himself, there was no way the man he was laying next to would betray them. Remus was a person above all else, and a wonderful person at that.  
**

**But a small uneasy feeling still rested in Sirius' gut.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Oh, Darling! by The Beatles


	20. Death or Glory - Year Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the Chamber of Secrets  
> *TW* recreational drug use  
> think I kind of outdid myself with the angst in the first part of the chapter just a heads-up

_Dad,_

_How are things back home? I’ve been kind of busy here with practice and school but so far everything has been fine. Harry and Ron had their detentions the other day (they were both super mad that they had them, it was really funny) so Hermione and I were alone. We went out to see them and met a new friend. Her name is Luna and she’s like Dorcas. I think she appreciated that I understood at least in the smallest bit so I can thank you for explaining. She’s in Ron’s younger sister’s year but I like her a lot and I can tell we’re going to be friends._

_So I know you told me to be nicer to Malfoy, but you’ve got to hear me out for this one. Our first ever practice the Slytherins interrupted us and Malfoy is on the team now (gross) but we got into an argument and he called Hermione a mudblood! I couldn’t believe it! It was in front of everyone too and Fred and George almost took his head off for saying it. Hermione didn’t know what it meant so Ron and I had to explain it to her and Harry. I still don’t think they completely understand the seriousness of it._

_Either way, I can’t be nice to him. And I did try when I remembered! But that’s so unforgivable and he’s already a prat anyway._

_Your buddy from school is a terrible teacher. I already can’t wait till next year when we have a new one for DADA. George told me the position is cursed or something so we get a new one every year. But yeah, he sucks and he’s got a thing for annoying Harry._

_Hermione’s birthday is in a few days. I ordered some stuff for her off a catalog with Ziggy. Still mad that she’s older than all of us._

_Can’t wait for the holidays! How’s your furry little problem been? Not giving you too much trouble, I hope. I feel like we didn’t talk much about it before I left._

_Anyway, say hi to the Tonks for me!_

_I love you,_

_Hannah_

**

Andromeda peered over Remus’ shoulder to look at the letter Hannah had sent. She smiled and patted him on the back before circling the table and taking a seat. They were in the small dining room of the Lupin’s cottage, having some tea and catching up. 

“She seems to be getting along rather well with Lyall’s death,” Andromeda commented casually. Remus looked up from the letter and gave her a sad smile. 

“Yes, it seems that way. She’s definitely better than before,” he said before looking over the letter again. His lips traced the words 'she's like Dorcas' and he smiled to himself, remembering his friend fondly. 

"She said the Malfoy boy said the 'm' word?" Andromeda questioned, obviously stating what she'd noticed the first second she'd looked at the letter. Remus snorted. 

"Seems that way," he said. "I tried to get her to be a bit nicer to the boy... saw his dad in Diagon Alley and they didn't seem like a happy family... but if he's gone and said that to Hermione," Remus smiled and shook his head, "there's no chance of Hannah being nice." 

Andromeda smirked slightly. 

"She's very protective over her friends?" she asked knowingly. 

"From what I've seen," Remus answered, clueless to Andromeda's smile and hinting. It was a lot easier for Andromeda to think about Sirius than it was for Remus to and she knew that, so she dropped the subject and moved over to one of her favorites.

"No surprise my sister's gone and raised a little shit," she said carelessly. "I always wondered what he'd be like. Guess now I know. Didn't know Hannah had problems with him, though."

"Oh, she's mentioned it a fair few times in her letters," Remus said. "But it seems to me like he has more of a thing for Harry." 

Andromeda laughed. 

"A _thing_ , thing, or a _thing_ , thing?" 

It was Remus' turn to laugh. 

"Merlin, I don't know. I hope not. With _that_ family," Remus shuddered. His thoughts wandered to Sirius and how his family had treated him when he came out as gay. He grew sad at just the thought of the letter with shakey, broken handwriting that he'd received over the summer after Bellatrix had told Sirius' parents that he didn't seem to be interested in girls. It had broken Remus' heart, knowing Sirius was trapped in a house with people that hated him. To be fair, Remus had also been trapped in a house with someone that hated him at the time as well. Lyall after Hope's death hadn't been pretty.

Still, Remus felt something stir inside him at Andromeda's comment. There was no evidence to make him believe that the Malfoy boy had a thing for Harry but if he did it would only make things worse for him in that home. Almost as bad as falling in love with a bisexual, half-blood, werewolf, Remus thought to himself and smiled for a second before falling back down into himself. Andromeda saw and frowned. 

"Rem," she said in a calming voice. Remus looked up at her almost like he was surprised she was there. Andromeda sighed. "You're thinking about him, aren't you?" 

Remus knew immediately who she was talking about but thought it might be better for himself if he pretended he didn't. 

"What?" 

Andromeda sighed again. 

"You're thinking about Sirius, aren't you?" she said. Remus gave a small twitch at the sound of Sirius' name and looked back down at his daughter's handwriting. Andromeda pressed on. "I know you are. You've got to stop. It's been almost twelve years, Rem. You need to-" 

"It's not that easy," Remus mumbled. 

"I know it's not that easy but it's been so long you shouldn't be-" 

"No," Remus' voice was hard and commanding, unusual for him and Andromeda's eyebrows knitted together at the sound. "No, Andy, it is physically, _not that easy_." 

"What do you mean?" 

Remus frowned. 

"It's different, for me and you. You're human, I'm not-"

"You-"

"Don't interrupt me, you know I'm not," Remus snapped. Andromeda leaned back in her chair and glared at him. "If it was just me... if I didn't have this... _thing_... then I would be fine by now. Hurt, probably, but fine. But it attached himself to him. So every full moon when I think I'm doing fine, I spend the whole night howling for him to come. And he never does. So I wake up in pain and repeat. There is no 'moving on'. There is no 'not thinking about him'. He's here constantly," Remus pointed to his chest, "just like the wolf. He's not going away. It is not that easy. You can't just tell me to stop thinking about him. That's like telling me to stop being a werewolf." 

He let out a high, cold laugh that was so unlike him Andromeda realized just how big the line that she'd crossed was. But still, Remus was in pain, and she would not back down. 

"He's not coming back, Remus," Andromeda said sadly. 

"I know he's not fucking coming back," Remus was standing now, shooting up in his seat from pure adrenaline and anger. "I'm not an idiot. And even if he was, I wouldn't let him. After what he did... I-"

"That's why you need to stop!" Andromeda stood too, coming up to Remus' chest in height. "You'll never forgive him. I know you hate him, you told me yourself-"

"Of course, I hate him, of course, I'll never fucking forgive him!" Remus shouted. "But it's not under my control if I have parts of me that still love him and _you_ will never understand that because _you_ aren't like me!" 

"I have parts of me that still love him too, Remus," Andromeda said. "He was my cousin, I loved him-" 

"You didn't love him like I did," Remus snapped. 

"How can you say that?" Andromeda's voice cracked with emotion. "I loved him just as much as you did." 

"No, you didn't," Remus said. "There are human levels of love, and there are animal levels of love. And I'm a fucking animal, Andromeda, in case you forgot. The wolf attached itself to him in a way it never did anyone else. Like a mate. And I hated it then and I hate it now. I want to be normal I want to love the normal amount but I don't. It's the same for Hannah. Why do you think I still tear myself to shreds every moon even though I'm chained to the ground? Because _she's not there._ And that's what the wolf wants. It still misses James, and Pete, and Lily, and Marlene, and Dorcas and it will never stop. If you died right now it would never stop hurting." 

They stood in silence for a second, Remus panting in anger and Andromeda looking at him with sad, wide eyes.

"Rem, I-"

"There's no moving on," Remus spat. "I'm never going to want anyone how I wanted him. And I'm never getting over what happened. I just can't."

"Rem, you're closing yourself off to all possibilities of growing," Andromeda said. Remus took a deep breath.

"You're never going to understand. I want you to leave," he said in almost a whisper. Andromeda frowned. 

"Remus, I'm not leaving, I can help-" 

"Please, Andy," Remus said in a tired voice. "I'm asking you nicely. I want to be alone now. You can still come over tomorrow after work but just... please. Leave me alone now." 

Andromeda looked at the expression on Remus' face and knew that he wasn't being mean or spiteful. A rush of guilt washed over her. 

"I'm sorry, Remus," she said as she walked over to him and grabbed one of his hands in hers. He didn't move. "I think you're right. I don't understand. Maybe someday I will. I'm sorry for pushing."

And she patted him on the back and walked past him to leave. Remus stood rooted to the ground as he heard the sound of her opening and closing the door, and then the soft pop of her apparition once she reached the porch. Remus folded in on himself as soon as he was sure she was gone. 

He hit the floor and scooted himself back to the wall, where he set his head in his hands and began to cry. Voicing and explaining the reasons for what had kept him attached all these years hurt worse than he could've imagined. He knew he'd be telling Andromeda someday, but it just came out unexpectedly and he didn't even get to say all he wanted to about the subject. It hadn't been the first argument Andromeda and Remus had about Sirius, and it probably wouldn't be the last if things were to go on the way they were now. Remus wanted more than anything to let go and be happy... but the wolf would never allow that.

Vaguely he wondered if Sirius still felt the same. He'd been the only one that understood what Remus meant when he described his dog-like tendencies towards love and loyalty, probably because in a sense he was one as well. Not as temperamental and nonconsensual as Remus' was but... he understood being in the mindset of blind love. 

Remus didn't know how long he stayed on the floor, but when he pulled his head up to stare at the ceiling, the inside of the cottage was completely dark. He made himself get up and he flicked on a light before sitting down and writing Hannah back. He smiled despite himself at the term 'furry little problem' and the longing for James set back in as well. He'd answered almost all questions for Hannah over the years, telling her the inside jokes and memories, minus a few key ones with the map and the animagi. He didn't think letting her know _everything_ he'd done would be a good idea. 

Remus finished his letter and sent it off to Hogwarts with his owl, Soren. Hopefully, it would be there by morning. 

He didn't sleep a wink that night. Thoughts of his old friends and boyfriend plagued his head and refused to leave, so eventually, he sat up and read a book until morning time. His eyes skimmed the pages without seeing and his thoughts wandered to Andromeda's words. 

_you're closing yourself off to all possibilities of growing_

He couldn't be. Someone like him couldn't move on. It was more than just an ex-boyfriend. More than just the father of his child, even. No, Remus would never stop loving Sirius Black. Not even if it killed him. 

** 

The few first weeks of school passed, and with them came Hermione's birthday. The nineteenth was to fall on a Saturday and Hermione would be turning thirteen years old, something everyone else was rather jealous about as they would not be a "teenager" for a couple more months. Since it was falling on a Saturday, Hannah and the boys were excited to plan a small get-together for Hermione in the second-year boy’s dormitory. The year before, Hermione had, in her words, ‘just been getting used to having friends’, and had decided not to tell them about her birthday. Hannah above all was furious upon finding out about it and planned to overcompensate as much as possible. 

So, Saturday night, Hannah, Ron, Harry, Ginny, Seamus, Dean, Neville, Parvati, and Lavender all crowded into the boy’s dormitory and waited for Hermione to come back from the library and join what she thought would just be her, Harry, Ron, and Hannah. They’d decorated the walls with gold and red streamers and had pushed the beds back so they had enough room for dancing in the middle. On top of Ron and Harry’s shared dresser sat a large chocolate cake with thirteen makeshift candles sticking out of the top. Hannah and Neville had prepared the cake themselves, which explained why it was rather lopsided with far too much frosting. They’d gone down to the kitchens to do it, a place Hermione had not yet visited, and even though the house-elves had tried to help, Hannah insisted they do it themselves. She thought it would mean more that way but later regretted her decision when Neville used a mixing charm and covered both of them head-to-toe in the brown cake batter.

They dimmed the lights and shushed each other as the sounds of Hermione’s light footsteps carried up the stairs towards them. Lavender, Dean, and Ginny each had a hand on a lamp to turn the lights back up when Hermione came in. They heard her steps pause at the door, obviously noting it was dark inside before she swung open the door cautiously. 

_“SURPRISE!”_ the eight Gryffindors yelled in unison as Lavender, Dean, and Ginny all turned up the lights and revealed them crowded in the small dorm. 

_“FUCKING HELL!”_ Hermione exclaimed as she jumped violently and pressed her back against the opposite wall. Her eight friends exploded with laughter before pulling her into the room, clapping her on the back.

“Why would you _do_ it like that?” Hermione said as she pressed a hand to her chest and tried to calm her thumping heart. Hannah laughed at her friend. 

“That’s what you get for not telling us last year, you prat,” she joked. Hermione rolled her eyes. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you curse like that, ‘Mione,” Ron smirked. 

“Oh, shut up, I was scared,” Hermione blushed. The others laughed and teased good-naturedly as they showed her the room they’d decorated and the large cake. 

“Oh,” Hermione smiled as she examined the thirteen candles and blushed again. “This is so nice, you guys, thank you.” 

The others smiled and insisted it was nothing. Then Hannah clapped her hands together and announced that the party was starting. She ran over to her record player and turned on a collective favorite as Ron and Harry went to light the candles. 

“No, no, no,” Harry said as Ron took his wand out and went to light it. “I’ll do it.” Ron shrugged and put his wand away and Harry lit all the candles himself. They all circled the cake and sang Hermione a happy birthday over the sounds coming from Hannah’s record player. They all clapped and cheered when Hermione blew out her candles and she beamed around at all of them, thrilled with her friends caring and setting something up like this for her. 

Seamus cut the cake, and since no one had thought to get plates or silverware, they all ate messily with their hands as they talked and danced. Hannah and Dean took to the middle of the floor, where they bounced around to the rhythm and tried not to get their cake everywhere. 

_‘Now every cheap hood strikes a bargain with the world_

_Ends up making payments on a sofa or a girl_

_"Love 'n' hate" tattooed across the knuckles of his hands_

_Hands that slap his kids around 'cause they don't understand how_

_Death or glory becomes just another story_

_Death or glory becomes just another story’_

They danced until others joined them, first Parvati and then Lavender, followed by Ron who was just a dangerous mound of boney limbs and swinging elbows. After a few seconds, they heard a knock on the door, and Hannah’s face lit up as she brushed off her hands and went to answer it. At the door stood Fred and George Weasley, wearing identical smirks as usual. George had something behind his back. 

“There you are!” Hannah said, causing everyone else to look around in confusion as they didn’t remember inviting the twins. They thought a low-energy party would be what suited Hermione best on her birthday and the twins being invited pretty much zeroed out the options of that happening. 

The twins walked into the dorm, nodding appreciatively at the music and decor.

“What are you two doing here?” Ginny asked. 

“I asked them to come,” Hannah answered. “Do you guys have it?” she asked the twins as she shut the door behind her. Fred and George grinned at her. 

“Of course,” George said. He pulled out from behind his back a small plastic bag with what looked like two rolled cigarettes inside. 

“What’s that?” Ginny demanded. 

“None of your business,” Fred answered with a raised eyebrow. Hannah smirked as she walked over and took the bag from George. 

“It’s weed,” she answered Ginny. 

“Weed?” exclaimed Hermione. “Hannah, that’s a drug!” 

Hannah frowned. 

“Is it?” she said thoughtfully. “Huh. That must be why my dad keeps it locked in his office.”

Hermione looked astounded at the thought of Remus smoking weed. 

“But this stuff doesn’t hurt you, Moony,” Hannah assured Hermione. “It just makes you happy. Or at least that’s what my dad told me when I found some in our medicine cabinet.” 

“It’s like alcohol but it doesn’t hurt,” Fred offered. “George and I smoke it all the time. We’re perfectly fine.” 

“I don’t know about all that,” Hermione said skeptically. George flipped her off. 

“If you don’t want to smoke it, we don’t have to,” Hannah said comfortingly. “I just thought it would be fun. I didn’t know it was a drug.” 

Hermione sighed. Everyone else in the room was watching their conversation with wide eyes, all hopeful Hermione would agree so they could try it. 

“No, we can try it,” Hermione said, figuring if Remus smoked it then it had to be perfectly safe. Everyone else smiled and curled around the twins to get a look at the two joints. Fred and George ordered everyone to sit down in the middle of the room before they let Hannah walk away with the bag. She sat criss-cross on the floor and took them out of their package, narrowing her eyes at them. George laughed and squatted down next to her to help. 

“Here… hold it like this, with your thumb and your index finger,” he instructed, “no… don’t pinch it that hard. Okay, yeah like that. Now put it up to your lips and I’m going to light it with my wand.” 

Hannah nodded and did what he said, looking up at him with the joint stuck in between her lips. Everyone else watched curiously. 

George held his wand to the tip of the joint. 

“When I light it, you’re going to inhale just a _little_ bit and then hold it in for a few seconds before breathing out, okay?” Hannah nodded. “Okay,” George said again. “Just a _little_ bit,” he reminded her before lighting the tip. Hannah inhaled with her entire chest and looked at George with wide, watery eyes before turning her head and coughing hard into her arm. 

“You prat!” George laughed as Hannah spluttered. “I said just a little bit!” 

Fred ran over and grabbed both of Hannah's arms, raising them above her head so she could breathe. 

"She sounds like she's gonna cough up a lung!" Neville said with wide eyes. 

"Is she gonna be okay?" Parvati asked the twins. They grinned. 

"She's going to be fine," Fred assured her. "She just didn't listen. Everyone take Hannah as an example." 

Hannah had finally regained her breath. She giggled as she pressed a hand to her chest and steadied her breathing. 

"I'm okay," she said to everyone's curious faces. The others visibly relaxed. "I can do it again," Hannah said as she went to reach for the joint in George's hand. 

"Why don't you take a little break?" George said with a smirk. "Wanna try, Ronniekins?" 

Ron turned red but nodded bravely and George moved over to him and instructed him the same as Hannah. He listened and only inhaled slightly, but he still coughed a great deal before straightening and giggling like Hannah. After that, everyone was far more eager to try. Harry went after Ron, coughing smoke directly into George's face before breaking down into breathless giggles. Hannah laughed very loudly at this. Seamus went, inhaling too much just as Hannah had and relapsing into a bad coughing fit as Dean thumped him on the back. Dean went and had a far better reaction than any of the others, only a few tears streaming down his cheeks. Ginny took only a very small puff before dissolving into coughs and Fred and George both refused to let her have anymore after that. The same happened to Neville, who broke down with fat tears streaming down his face and the twins both agreed to cut him off as well. Lavender and Parvati both went and dealt relatively well, coughing for a few seconds before sitting up and giggling at each other. Hannah, Ron, Harry, Dean, and Seamus all joined in on their laughter though they did not know exactly why. Finally, George reached Hermione and she grabbed the joint from him determinedly, pressing it to her lips and taking the biggest hit of all. The rest shouted as she broke down in violent coughs and Fred and George both had to hold her up so she could breathe. She regained her breath after a few minutes and they leaned her back on one of the beds where she giggled softly to herself. 

"You lot don't need any more than that," Fred said as he sat back on a bed and looked around at the younger Gryffindors who were all sporting bloodshot eyes and goofy grins. "You've got low tolerances." 

"Agreed," George said as he put the little amount of the first joint back in the plastic bag and shoved it in one of his pockets. 

"You're not going to smoke?" Parvati asked. 

"No, might as well stay sober and make sure none of you die," Fred joked. 

"Die?" Neville exclaimed nervously. 

"He's just joking," Ginny laughed and Neville sat back still looking rather scared.

“You guys don’t have to stay if you don’t want to,” Hermione added to Fred and George as George flung himself down on a bed like Fred. 

“Oh, no, we’re supervising,” Fred said. 

“We’re not _that_ irresponsible,” George added. 

“Plus Percy’s been chasing us around ever since we used _engorgio_ on his prefect badge and used it to sled down the stairs of the astronomy tower so we need somewhere to hide,” Fred said. 

“Dunno why he’s so mad about it,” George said thoughtfully. “Only a few scratches.” 

The rest of the group found this extremely amusing and they all exploded with laughter. Fred and George rolled their eyes at the younger students and remained on the beds to keep an eye on them as they laughed and joked amongst themselves. 

_'Every dragging hand clap over every dragging beat_

_That's just the beat of time, beat that must go on_

_If you've been trying for years we already heard your song_

_Death or glory becomes just another story_

_Death or glory, just another story'_

Hermione thoroughly enjoyed her birthday party, even if her vision was blurred for most of it. She liked the feeling weed gave her, it calmed her usual nervous demeanor and made her relaxed and hilarious. Maybe this was why Remus smoked it. She could see herself doing this more often. 

"You know," Hannah sniffled. "I don't think we actually need school. Like it's just a habit adults have." 

"That's a really good point," Ron said, nodding enthusiastically.

“Mmm,” Hermione mumbled. She was slumped over a bedpost with her eyes closed and a happy smile on her face. “We do need school.”

“But why?” Seamus asked. He had his head in Dean’s lap, something he looked very happy about.

Hermione paused for a second like Seamus had made a good argument.

“I don’t remember,” she finally said. The others exploded with laughter once more, Neville snorting several times and making everyone else say ‘Ew’ and laugh harder. Fred and George rolled their eyes.

After an hour or two, the little bit of high they’d been allowed to have was disappearing and they each crashed one by one. Hannah fell asleep on Harry’s shoulder, something Harry would’ve been ecstatic about had he not fallen asleep several minutes before she laid down. Dean and Seamus fell asleep curled up next to each other, along with Hermione and Ginny. Ron managed to crawl into his bed before knocking out and Neville did the same. Lavender and Parvati had long since crawled into Dean’s bed to sleep side by side.

“Should we move them?” George asked his twin. Fred smiled.

“Move Ginny, at least. All the rest are too heavy.”

George went over and lifted Ginny into his arms like he’d done countless times before when she’d fallen asleep on the floor of the twin’s shared room after making them stay up and talk to her. He moved her into Harry’s bed, pulling the covers around her small frame paternally. Fred did the same for Hermione after seeing her laying uncomfortably with Ginny removed from under her. They laid her down in Seamus’ bed and left Hannah, Harry, Dean, and Seamus on the floor since they were each using one another as pillows. They smiled at each other before turning off the music and dimming the lights. They closed the door behind them as they left but remained in the common room the entire night just in case any of them woke up and needed something.

**

October arrived a few weeks later, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Madame Pomfrey was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among the staff and students. Her Pepperup potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours. Ginny, who had been looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Percy. The steam pouring from under her vivid red hair gave the impression that her whole head was on fire.

Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end. The lake rose, the flower beds turned into muddy streams, and Hagrid’s pumpkins swelled to the size of garden sheds. Oliver Wood’s enthusiasm for regular training sessions had not been damped by the dreadful weather, which happened to be the cause of Hannah and Harry coming back from the infirmary with steam pouring out of their ears after another hard practice in the cold, wet rain.

They were both in rather rotten moods, drenched to the skin, and splattered with mud from the drills Wood had made them run that evening. As if the weather hadn’t been enough, it hadn’t been a very happy practice for more reasons than one. Fred and George, who had been spying on the Slytherin team, had seen for themselves the speed of their new Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones. They reported that the Slytherin team was no more than seven greenish blurs, shooting through the air like missiles. Wood had started relying heavily on Hannah and her broom during practice, having her make most of the ending scores against him. This just caused both Hannah and Wood to be the most tired out of the rest of the team, and Hannah wasn’t even talking as she and Harry returned to Gryffindor tower.

As they squelched along the deserted corridor they came across somebody who looked just as preoccupied as they were. Nearly Headless Nick was staring morosely out of a window, muttering under his breath, “…don’t fulfill their requirements… half an inch, if that…”

“Hello, Nick,” Harry said as Hannah stifled a yawn and gave a bleak wave. 

“Hello, hello,” Nearly Headless Nick replied, giving a start and looking around. He wore a dashing, plumed hat on his long curly hair, and a tunic with a ruff, which concealed the fact that his neck was almost completely severed. He was pale as smoke, and Hannah and Harry could see right through him to the dark sky and heavy rain outside.

“You look troubled, young ones,” Nick said, folding a transparent letter as he spoke and tucking it inside his doublet.

“So do you,” Harry replied. Hannah nodded along vaguely.

“Ah,” Nick waved an elegant hand, “a matter of no importance… It’s not as though I really wanted to join… thought I’d apply, but apparently I ‘don’t fulfill requirements’-“

Despite his airy tone, there was a look of great bitterness on his face.

“Join what?” Hannah asked bluntly. Nick gave a dramatic sigh.

“Just a small ghost-run organization for fellow decapitated spirits called the Headless Hunt,” he answered. “But you’d think, wouldn’t you,” Nick erupted angrily, pulling the letter back out of his pocket, “that getting hit forty-five times in the neck with a blunt axe would qualify you to join such an organization?”

“Oh… yes,” Hannah in Harry said in unison, as they were obviously supposed to agree.

“I mean, nobody wished more than I do that it had all been quick and clean, and my head had come off properly, I mean, it would have saved me a great deal of pain and ridicule. However-“ Nick shook his letter open and read in a fast and furious voice.

_“’ We can only accept huntsmen whose heads have parted completely with their bodies. You will appreciate that it would be impossible otherwise for members to participate in hunt activities such as Horseback Head Juggling and Head Polo. It is with the greatest regret, therefore, that I must inform you that you do not fulfill requirements. With very best wishes, Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore.’”_

Fuming, Nearly Headless Nick stuffed the letter away.

“Half an inch of skin and sinew holding my neck on! Most people would think that’s good and beheaded, but oh, no, it’s not enough for Sir Properly Decapitated-Podmore!”

“Ridiculous,” Hannah offered consolingly.

“Yes, yes, thank you,” Nick huffed. Harry held back a grin at his pompous manner. Nick took several deep breaths and then said, in a far calmer tone, “So, what’s bothering the pair of you? Anything I can do?”

“No,” Harry said gloomily. “Not unless you know where we can get six free Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones for our match against Sly-“

The rest of Harry’s sentence was drowned out by a high-pitched mewling from in between Hannah’s ankles. They both looked over and found themselves gazing directly into a pair of lamp-like yellow eyes. It was Mrs. Norris, and Hannah had to resist the urge to kick her feet out at the cat.

“You two had better get out of here, “ Nick said quickly. “Filch isn’t in a good mood… he’s got the flu and some third years accidentally plastered frog brains all over the ceiling in dungeon five. He’s been cleaning all morning, and if he sees you two dripping mud all over the place-“

“Shit,” Hannah said at the same time Harry said “Right”. They both backed away from the accusing stare of Mrs. Norris, but not quickly enough. Drawn to the spot by the mysterious power that seemed to connect him with his foul cat, Argus Filch burst suddenly through a tapestry to their right, wheezing and looking wildly about for the rule-breakers. There was a thick tartan scarf bound around his head, and his nose was unusually purple.

“Filth!” he shouted, his jowls aquiver, his eyes popping alarmingly as he pointed at the muddy puddle that had dripped from Harry and Hannah’s practice clothes. “Mess and much everywhere! I’ve had enough of it, I tell you! Follow me, Potter, Lupin!”

So Harry waved a gloomy good-bye to Nearly Headless Nick and followed Filch back downstairs, Hannah sticking up her middle fingers at his back as they walked. Hannah and Harry had been in Filch’s office only once before, and that had been the time they’d discovered their parent’s map hidden in the ‘highly dangerous’ cabinet. As they entered the dingy windowless room, it seemed unlikely that they’d come out that lucky once again. The room was lit by a single oil lamp dangling from the low ceiling and a faint smell of fried fish lingered about the place. Wooden filing cabinets stood around the walls; from their labels, Harry and Hannah could see that they contained details of every pupil Filch had ever punished. Fred and George had an entire drawer to themselves. A highly polished collection of chains and manacles hung on the wall behind Filch’s desk. It was common knowledge that he was always begging Dumbledore to let him suspend students by their ankles from the ceiling. Shoved in the back corner was a dusty box labeled “J.F.P & S.O.B”. Harry had no idea what it meant and Hannah was once again too busy pouting to notice anything that wasn’t directly affecting her.

Filch grabbed a quill from a pot on his desk and began shuffling around looking for parchment.

“Dung,” he muttered furiously, ‘great sizzling dragon bogies… frog brains… rat intestines… I’ve had enough of it… make an _example_ … where’s the form… yes…”

He retrieved a large roll of parchment from his desk drawer and stretched it out in front of him, dipping his long black quill into the inkpot.

“ _Name_ … Harry Potter… Hannah Lupin… _Crime_ …”

“It was only a bit of mud!” Harry said as Hannah scoffed and clenched her jaw.

“It’s only a bit of mud to you, boy, but to me, it’s an extra hour scrubbing!” Filch shouted, a drip shivering unpleasantly at the end of his bulbous nose. “ _Crime_ … befouling the castle… _suggested sentence_ …”

Dabbing at his streaming nose, filch squinted unpleasantly at Harry and Hannah who were waiting with bated breath for their sentence to fall. But as Filch lowered his quill, there was a great BANG on the ceiling of the office, which made the oil lamp rattle.

“PEEVES!” Filch roared, flinging down his quill in rage. “I’ll have you this time, I’ll have you!”

And without a backward glance at Harry and Hannah, Filch ran flat-footed from the office, Mrs. Norris streaking alongside him. Thinking he should probably wait for Filch to come back, Harry sank into a moth-eaten chair next to the desk.

“What are you doing?” Hannah hissed. “Let’s leave!”

“What?” Harry whispered. “But he’s going to come back!”

“Yeah, and we better not be here when he does!” Hannah said. Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“Do we have to? I’ve already gotten in trouble for the car this year… what if Filch tells Dumbledore I ditched?” he said.

“Harry, last time we were in here we stole the map and didn’t give our slips to Minerva,” Hannah said, obviously exasperated with her friend.

“Yeah, but that was like… all we did last year.”

“We broke into the third corridor and tried to fight Snape!”

“Just…” Harry sighed. “Don’t make me. You can go if you want but I’m not risking it.”

“No,” Hannah huffed as she sunk into the chair next to Harry. “It won’t make sense if only one of us leaves. I’ll wait with you.”

“Thanks,” Harry said. He looked over at the desk when Hannah remained silent. There was only one thing on it apart from his half-completed form: a large, glossy, purple envelope with silver lettering on the front. With a quick glance at the door to check that Filch wasn’t on his way back, Harry picked up the envelope.

“Nosey, much?” Hannah snorted.

“Oh, shut up,” Harry replied. “Look at this.”

Hannah leaned over despite herself to look at what Harry was holding. It read:

KWIKSPELL

_A Correspondence Course in Beginners’ Magic_

Intrigued, Harry flicked the envelope open and pulled out the sheaf of parchment inside with Hannah egging him on. More curly silver writing on the front page said:

_Feel out of step in the world of modern magic? Find yourself making excuses not to perform simple spells? Ever been taunted for your woeful wand work?_

_There is an answer!_

_Kwikspell is an all-new, fail-safe, quick-result, easy-term course. Hundreds of witches and wizards have benefited from the Kwikspell method!_

_Warlock Z. Nettles of Topsham writes:_

_“I had no memory for incantations and my potions were a family joke! Now, after a Kwikspell course, I am the center of attention at parties and friends beg for the recipe of my Scintillation Solution!”_

_Madam D.J Prod of Didsbury says:_

_“My husband used to sneer at my feeble charms, but one month into your fabulous Kwikspell course and I succeeded in turning him into a yak! Thank you, Kwikspell!”_

“Oh, Harry, put this away,” Hannah said as she grabbed the paper from him and folded it back up. She was stuffing it back in the envelope and Harry looked over to see a guilty look etched on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Harry asked. Hannah sealed the letter back and threw it on Filch’s desk. She looked very uncomfortable about something.

“Well… we just shouldn’t have read that,” she answered.

“But why?” Harry pushed.

“Because that means he’s a _squib,”_ Hannah whispered. “If he’s taking classes like that. Oh, Godric, no wonder he’s so grumpy. Rather cruel to have someone like him working at a school for magic-“

“What are you going on about?” Harry said.

“Prongs, a squib is someone who comes from a magical family but can’t perform magic. Basically the opposite of a Muggleborn,” Hannah answered.

“So he can’t do magic?” Harry asked.

“Probably not very well. At least that’s what the letter seems like it’s advertising. I’ve always wondered why he cleans like a Muggle-“

Hannah stopped her talking as they heard shuffling footsteps outside. A few seconds later, Filch busted through the door, looking triumphant.

“That vanishing cabinet was extremely valuable!” he was saying gleefully to Mrs. Norris. “We’ll have Peeves out this time, my sweet-“

His eyes fell on Hannah and Harry and then darted to the Kwikspell envelope, which, they realized too late, Hannah had thrown about two feet away from its original spot on the desk in her nervous state. Filch’s pasty face went brick red. Hannah and Harry both mentally prepped themselves for a tidal wave of anger as Filch hobbled over to his desk, snatched up the envelope, and threw it into a drawer.

“Have you… did you two read-?” he spluttered.

“No,” Harry lied quickly.

“Absolutely not,” Hannah lied as well.

Filch’s knobbly hands were twisting together.

“If I thought you’d read my private… not that it’s mine… for a friend… be that as it may…”

“We didn’t read it,” Hannah said and Harry nodded his head vigorously. They were both staring at him in alarm; Filch looked even madder than usual. His eyes were popping, a tic was going on in one of his pouchy cheeks, and that tartan scarf didn’t help.

“Very well… go… and don’t breathe a word… not that… however, if you didn’t read… go now, I have to write up Peeve’s report… go-“

Not needing to be told twice, Hannah and Harry got up and sped out of his office, up the corridor, and back upstairs. To escape from Filch without punishment was probably some kind of school record.

“Harry! Hannah! Did it work?”

Nearly Headless Nick came gliding out of a classroom. Behind him, Harry and Hannah could see the wreckage of a large black-and-gold cabinet that appeared to have been dropped from a great height.

“I persuaded Peeves to crash it right over Filch’s office,” Nick said eagerly. “Thought it might distract him-“

“Brilliant!” Hannah grinned.

“That was you?” Harry said gratefully. “Yeah, it worked, we didn’t even get detention. Thanks, Nick!”

The three of them set off up the corridor together. Nick, Harry noticed, was still holding Sir Patrick’s rejection letter.

“I wish there was something we could do for you about the Headless Hunt,” Harry said. Hannah nodded along. Nick stopped in his tracks and Harry walked right through him. He wished he hadn’t, it felt like stepping through an icy shower.

“But there _is_ something you two could do for me… well… something _Harry_ could do for me,” Nick said excitedly.

“What is it?” Harry asked as Hannah looked confused.

“Harry… would I be asking too much… but no, you wouldn’t want-“

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Harry said.

“Well, this Halloween will be my five hundredth deathday,” Nick said, drawing himself up and looking dignified.

“Oh,” Harry said.

“Sorry,” Hannah mumbled. Neither of them were sure if they should look happy or upset about this.

“Don’t be sorry, my dear, it is a cause for celebration!” Nick said. “I’m holding a party down in one of the roomier dungeons. Friends will be coming from all over the country. It would be such an honor if you would attend. You, Miss Lupin would be welcome to come as well along with Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, of course… but I’d daresay you’d rather go to the school feast?” he looked at Harry anxiously.

“No,” Harry said quickly. “I’ll come-“

“My dear boy! Harry Potter, at my deathday party! And”, he hesitated, looking excited, “do you think you two could possibly mention to Sir Patrick how very frightening and impressive you find me?”

“Of- of course,” Harry said.

“No problem,” Hannah said.

Nearly Headless Nick beamed at them. They turned a corner and Nick waved good-bye, telling them he was looking forward to seeing them at his party. Hannah and Harry returned the phrase, waving good-bye as well as they headed up to Gryffindor tower.

“A _deathday_ party,” Hannah said once she was sure Nick was out of earshot. “Who would ever want to celebrate the day they died?”

“I know,” Harry said. “But I couldn’t exactly say no.”

“Oh, no, I don’t blame you,” Hannah said as they walked up to the portrait hole. “But still. It’s gonna be _weird.”_

“Agreed,” Harry said. They entered their common room and said a quick hello to Ron and Hermione before separating and going up to their dorms to change. When they came back down, they told their friends all about Nearly Headless Nick’s offer.

“A deathday party?” Hermione said eagerly. “I bet there aren’t many living people who can say they’ve been to one of those… it’ll be fascinating!”

“Why would anyone want to celebrate the day they died?” Ron unknowingly repeated Hannah’s words. He was halfway through a particularly nasty essay from Snape and was very grumpy. “Sounds dead depressing to me…”

“Oh, _haha,”_ Hermione fake laughed. Hannah and Harry looked around the room as their friends started to bicker. The rain was still lashing the windows, which were now inky black, but inside all looked bright and cheerful. The firelight glowed over the countless squashy armchairs where people sat reading, talking, doing homework, or, in the case of Fred and George, trying to find out what would happen if you fed a Filibuster firework to a salamander. Fred had “rescued” the brilliant orange, fire-dwelling lizard from a Care of Magical Creatures class and it was now smoldering gently on a table surrounded by a knot of curious people.

Harry had noticed Hannah had neglected to tell Hermione and Ron about Filch’s Kwikspell letter and he was about to interrupt what had started as an argument but had turned into a playful conversation when Hermione had burst out laughing at something Ron had said when the salamander suddenly whizzed into the air, emitting loud sparks and bangs as it whirled wildly round the room. The sight of Percy bellowing himself hoarse at Fred and George, the spectacular display of tangerine stars showering from the salamander’s mouth, and its escape into the fire, with accompanying explosions, and the smile on Hannah's face as she laughed, drove both Filch and the Kwikspell from Harry’s mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Death or Glory by The Clash (one of my favorite bands of all time so prepare to see them a lot in the future)  
> sorry, this chapter is shorter than normal. I've been pretty overwhelmed with work and school  
> 


	21. Moonage Daydream - Year Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the Chamber of Secrets

Halloween finally arrived and with it the usual festivities and décor. Harry had always loved Halloween, as it was one of the guaranteed nights of the year that the Dursley’s would be out of the house taking Dudley trick-or-treating and leaving him alone to sneak up to what had been Dudley’s second bedroom to watch spooky movies. There was something about Halloween that always put Harry’s teeth on edge, though, even when he got to spend a few hours alone. The night of, he’d normally shoot up out of his bed with a flash of green light disappearing behind his eyes. Before his life at Hogwarts, he hadn’t known what it meant and always pushed it away and went back to sleep. But now Harry knew that it was because of his parent’s deaths so many years previous, and the magical power that had protected Harry from Voldemort was brought up unconsciously in his mind.

He thought he’d been being paranoid towards his new friends last Halloween but now he was sure of it; they were looking at him weirdly. Hannah flinched and put on a fake smile whenever he spoke or touched her and Ron kept looking at him like he might burst out into tears at any moment. Hermione alone seemed to be treating him relatively normally, but if he ever got reserved from Hannah and Ron’s behavior she’d immediately rope him into their conversation. Harry knew why, of course, but he still wished they’d treat him like they normally did. By the time dinner rolled around, Harry was in a rather rotten mood. 

“A promise is a promise,” Hermione mistakenly reminded Harry, taking his upset demeanor as him regretting agreeing to go to Nick’s party. “You _said_ you’d go to the deathday party.”

In truth, Harry was not much excited about the deathday party either. The rest of the school was happily anticipating their Halloween feast; the Great Hall had been decorated with the usual live bats, Hagrid’s large pumpkins had been carved into lanterns large enough for three men to sit in, and there were rumors that Dumbledore had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons. At least Hannah, Ron, and Hermione showed no signs of complaint or thoughts of ditching him for the feast. In his subconscious, Harry knew his friends would have done the same any day of the year, but a nagging voice that sounded suspiciously like Petunia Dursley kept telling him they were just afraid to leave him alone on the day of his parent’s death. 

At seven o’clock, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hannah all walked straight past the doorway to the packed Great Hall, which was glittering invitingly with gold plates and candles, and directed their steps instead toward the dungeons with little enthusiasm. The passageway leading to Nearly Headless Nick’s party had been lined with candles as well, though the effect was far from inviting or cheerful. They were long, thin, jet-black tapers, all burning bright blue, casting a dim, ghostly light even over their own living faces. Hannah’s already pale skin made her look practically transparent, something Ron pointed out happily and received a punch on the arm. However, they didn’t fall into a playfight like they normally would, the atmosphere of the dungeons was far too dreadful for any of their usual bubbly fun.

The temperature dropped with every step they took, and each marauder found themselves wishing they’d worn their wizarding robes instead of dressing down in muggle attire for Halloween. Hannah and Ron had wanted to go in costumes, but Hermione and Harry had enough sense to shut it down. They didn’t think going to a deathday party dressed as Jedis would have a very good response. 

“Is that supposed to be _music?”_ Ron whispered, as the sound of what seemed to be nails on a chalkboard reached their ears. 

“Sounds like Dave Matthews Band,” Hannah scowled.

“Hey, I like them!” Ron said and Hannah snorted.

“You would,” she said as they turned a corner and saw Nearly Headless Nick standing at a doorway hung with black velvet drapes.

“My dear friends,” he said mournfully. “Welcome, welcome… so pleased you could come…”

He swept off his plumed hat and bowed them inside. The four friends exchanged a look at the tone of his voice and Hannah fought back a giggle. Her struggle soon disappeared, though, as they stepped into the large dungeon and took everything in. It was an incredible sight. The dungeon was full of hundreds of pearly-white translucent people, mostly drifting around a crowded dance floor, waltzing to the dreadful, quavering sound of thirty musical saws, played by an orchestra on a raised, black-draped platform. A chandelier overhead blazed midnight-blue with a thousand more black candles. Their breath rose in a mist before them; it was like stepping into a freezer.

“Fancy a dance, Moony?” Hannah said as they stared at the waltzing ghosts.

“I think I’ll pass, Pads,” Hermione replied.

“I’d like to dance,” Harry half-heartedly joked. Hannah immediately looked at him with wide eyes.

“Oh… sure! We can dance-“

“Hannah, I was joking,” Harry sighed. Hannah immediately pulled a forced laugh and cursed herself as she saw Harry’s face fall. Last year had been so much easier to forget about, what with Ron insulting Hermione and them ending up fighting a giant troll… but now Hannah could hardly look at Harry. She wanted so badly to be able to treat him normally and knew if she did he would probably feel a lot better, but she just felt so out of place next to him. She’d shared these feelings with Hermione that morning when Hermione was fixing Hannah’s tie after Hannah had put her hair up for her, and Hermione immediately took up the role of the happy pretender. She said she’d be perfectly normal with Harry all day, just so Hannah could feel better about being around him. So far it hadn’t worked much, and Hannah was forced to deal with the boiling disgust that rose up in her throat for herself every time she and Harry had some sort of exchange.

“Shall we have a look around,?” Harry broke the silence awkwardly.

“Careful not to walk through anyone,” Ron said nervously as they set off around the edge of the dance floor. He too had been feeling sympathetic for his best friend and had no idea how to really convey how sorry he was. All he knew was how upset Harry looked and he desperately wanted to help him. He just didn’t know how, and Hannah’s awkward demeanor only fed his own.

They passed a group of gloomy nuns, a ragged man wearing chains, and the Fat Friar, the cheerful Hufflepuff ghost, who was talking to a knight with an arrow sticking out of his forehead. None of them were surprised to see the Bloody Baron was being given a wide berth by the other ghosts.

“Oh no,” Hermione said suddenly as she made eye contact with a familiar doe-eyed ghost. “Turn back, turn back, I don’t want to talk to Moaning Myrtle-“

“Same here,” Hannah said as she steered her friends in the opposite direction. “I’d try to be nice but this place is killing my energy.”

“Wait, who is Moaning Myrtle?” Harry asked.

“She haunts one of the toilets in the girls’ bathroom on the first floor,” Hermione answered instinctually like they were in class instead of skirting around a gloomy dance floor. She understood Ron and Hannah’s uncomfortableness around Harry on the day of his parent’s death but didn’t really feel like Harry should be treated any differently because of it. Sure, it was a constant reminder whenever she looked at him and she knew it had to be a thousand times worse for Hannah but she also didn’t find herself visibly acting worried for Harry. The flash of relief on his face when she spoke or answered a question for him normally was enough.

“She haunts a _toilet?”_ Harry giggled. Hannah found herself rolling her eyes at Harry’s amusement despite herself.

“Yes. It’s been out-of-order all year because someone will go in and mess with her and she’ll get upset and flood the place. Hannah and I never go in there anyway if we can avoid it. It’s awful trying to have a pee with her wailing in the stall next to you-“

“Really messes with the mood,” Hannah added.

“Look, food!” Ron exclaimed. On the other side of the dungeon was a long table, also covered in black velvet. They approached it eagerly, Ron in the lead, but next moment froze in their tracks, horrified. The smell was quite disgusting. Large, rotten fish were laid out on handsome silver platters; cakes, burned charcoal-black, were heaped on salvers; there was a great maggoty haggis, a slab of cheese covered in furry green mold and, in pride of place, an enormous gray cake in the shape of a tombstone, with tar-like icing forming the words:

**SIR NICHOLAS DE MIMSY-PORPINGTON**

**DIED 31** **st** **OCTOBER 1492**

 _“1492?”_ Hannah said in wonder. “And I thought my dad was old.”

“Don’t let him hear you say that,” Hermione snickered. It had become a reoccurring joke between the girls to make fun of Remus’ age when they were around him, something he found annoying and they found hilarious. 

They soon looked up to watch a portly ghost approach the table slowly before crouching down low and walking through it, his mouth held wide so that it passed through one of the sticking salmon.

“Can you taste it if you walk through it?” Harry asked him curiously.

“Almost,” the ghost said sadly before drifting away.

“I expect they let it rot to give it a stronger flavor,” Hermione said knowledgeably as she pinched her nose and leaded closer to look at the repulsive haggis.

“Shame you didn’t bring your notebook, Moony, you could be writing this down,” Hannah teased.

“Oh, shut it,” Hermione said as she pulled away from the putrid food.

“Can we move? I feel sick,” Ron said. He was looking at the cake like it had personally offended him.

The others agreed immediately, wanting to get away from the stench as well. However, they had just barely turned around when a little man swooped suddenly from under the table and came to a halt in midair before them.

“Hello, Peeves,” Harry said cautiously. Unlike the ghosts around them, Peeves the Poltergeist was the very reverse of pale and transparent. He was wearing a bright orange party hat, a revolving bow tie, and a broad grin on his wide, wicked face.

“Nibbles?” he said sweetly, offering them a bowl of peanuts covered in fungus.

“I’ll pass,” Hannah said.

“No thanks,” Hermione said in a nicer tone, keen to keep Peeves docile.

“Heard you talking about poor Myrtle,” Peeves said, his eyes dancing as they flicked between Hannah and Hermione. _“Rude_ you was about poor Myrtle.” He took a deep breath and bellowed, “OY! MYRTLE!”

“No, Peeves, we weren’t talking bad we just-“ Hannah spluttered.

“Oh, don’t tell her what we said she’ll be really upset,” Hermione whispered frantically. “We didn’t mean it, we really don’t mind her… er, hello, Myrtle.”

A ghost with one of the glummest faces they’d ever seen had glided over. She looked like she was trying to hide behind her lank hair and thick, pearly glasses.

“What?” she said sulkily.

“How are you Myrtle?” Hermione said in a bright voice. “It’s nice to see you out of the toilet.”

“Are you enjoying the party?” Hannah chorused in. Myrtle just sniffled in response. 

“These two were just talking about you-“ Peeves said slyly in Myrtle’s ear.

“Nice things,” Hannah said immediately.

“Yes, yes… we were just saying… saying… how nice you look tonight,” Hermione said as she glared daggers at Peeves. Myrtle eyed both girls suspiciously.

“You’re making fun of me,” she said, silver tears welling rapidly in her large, see-through eyes.

“No… honestly… weren’t we just talking about how nice Myrtle’s looking?” Hermione said as she nudged Harry and Ron painfully in the ribs.

“Oh, yeah-“

“They did-“

“Don’t lie to me,” Myrtle gasped, tears now flooding down her face while Peeves chuckled happily over her shoulder. “D’you think I don’t know what people call me behind my back? Fat Myrtle! Ugly Myrtle! Miserable, moaning, moping Myrtle!”

“You’ve forgotten pimply,” Peeves hissed in her ear. Myrtle burst into anguished sobs and fled from the dungeon. Peeves shot after her, pelting her with moldy peanuts and yelling, _“Pimply! Pimply!”_

“Oh, dear,” Hermione said sadly.

“We should go see if she’s alright,” Hannah said, eager either way to leave the cold dungeon but now feeling guilty for making Myrtle cry.

“Agreed,” Hermione said, and they were just moving towards the door when a familiar see-through figure blocked their path.

“Enjoying yourselves?” Nearly Headless Nick asked.

“Oh, yes,” they all lied collectively.

“Not a bad turnout,” Nick said proudly. “The Wailing Widow came all the way up from Kent… It’s nearly time for my speech, I’d better go and warn the orchestra…”

However, the orchestra had already ceased their teeth-clenching sound. They, and everyone else in the dungeon, fell silent, looking around in excitement when a hunting horn sounded.

“Oh, here we go,” Nick spat bitterly. Through the dungeon wall burst a dozen ghost horses, each ridden by a headless horseman. The assembly clapped wildly and the four marauders started to clap, too but stopped quickly at the look on Nick’s face. The horses galloped into the middle of the dance floor and halted, rearing and plunging. At the front of the pack was a large ghost who held his bearded head under his arm. The four Gryffindor’s eyes widened as they realized the head was holding the hunting horn between its lips and creating the loud echoing sound around the dungeon. The ghost leapt down, lifted his head high in the air so he could see over the crowd, causing a ripple of laughter to pass through Nick’s party guests, and strode over to Nick, squashing his head back onto his neck. 

“Nick!” he roared. “How are you? Head still hanging in there?”

He gave a hearty chuckle and clapped Nick on his shoulder, causing his unstable head to wobble dangerously on his neck.

“Welcome, Patrick,” Nick said stiffly.

“Live ‘uns!” Sir Patrick shouted once he spotted Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Hannah. He gave a huge, fake, jump of excitement, making his head fall off again for the amusement of the crowd behind him. The four marauders gave an awkward collective chuckle, torn between loyalty to Nick and pressure to join the laughter around them.

“Very amusing,” Nick said darkly.

“Don’t mind Nick,” Sir Patrick’s head shouted from the floor. “Still upset we won’t let him join the Hunt! But I mean to say… look at the fellow-“

“I think,” Harry said hurriedly as he stepped on Hannah’s foot, “that Nick’s really, very, er… frightening and-“

“Super scary,” Hannah offered.

“Ha!” Sir Patrick’s head yelled. “Bet he asked you two to say that!”

“If I could have everyone’s attention,” Nick shouted suddenly, “it’s time for my speech!”

He strode over to the podium and a dramatic icy blue light fell upon him.

“My late lamented lords, ladies, and gentlemen, it is my great sorrow…”

But nobody heard much more. Sir Patrick and the rest of the Headless Hunt had just started a game of Head Hockey and the crowd was turning excitedly to watch. Nick tried in vain to recapture his audience but gave up as Sir Patrick’s head went sailing past him to loud cheers. The four friends did not find it too amusing, as they were all rather cold and extremely hungry.

“I can’t stand much more of this,” Ron muttered, his teeth chattering, as the orchestra ground back into action, and the ghosts swept back on the dance floor.

“Let’s go,” Harry agreed. The others breathed a breath of relief as they backed towards the door, nodding, and beaming at anyone who looked at them. A minute later they were hurrying back up the passageway full of black candles, thriving in the slow warmth that greeted them.

“Pudding might not be finished yet,” Ron said hopefully as he led the way toward the steps to the entrance hall. Hannah was just laughing at the loud growl her stomach had given when Harry heard something far different than his friend’s grumbles.

_“…rip… tear… kill…”_

It was the same voice, the same cold, murderous voice that had scared him shitless in Lockhart’s office. He stumbled to a halt, clutching at the stone wall, listening with all his might, looking around, squinting, up and down the dimply lit passageway.

“Prongs?” Hannah questioned; her voice full of concern.

“Harry, what’re you-?”

“It’s that voice again… shut up a minute…” Harry hushed Ron.

_“… so hungry… for so long…”_

“Listen!” Harry said urgently, and Hannah, Ron, and Hermione all froze, watching him.

_“… kill… time to kill…”_

The voice was growing fainter. Harry was sure it was moving away… moving upward. A mixture of fear and excitement gripped him as he stared at the dark ceiling; how could it be moving upward? Was it a phantom, like Hannah had suggested, to whom stone ceilings didn’t matter?

“This way!” he shouted, and he began to run, up the stairs, into the entrance hall. It was no good hoping to hear anything here, the babble of talk from the Halloween feast was echoing out of the Great Hall. Harry sprinted up the marble staircase to the first floor, his bewildered friends following behind him.

“Harry, what’re we-“

“SHHH!”

Harry strained his ears. Distantly, from the floor above, and growing fainter still, he heard the voice once more.

_“… I smell blood… I SMELL BLOOD!”_

Harry’s stomach lurched.

“It’s going to kill someone!” Harry shouted and, ignoring his friend's protests and questions, he ran up the next flight of steps three at a time, trying to listen over his own pounding footsteps. The other three exchanged worried looks behind his back, particularly Ron and Hannah. Could it be possible Harry’s random fear of a murderous creature around the castle had something to do with his parent’s deathday? Surely not… but they still sped up to reach him faster as he hurtled around the entirety of the second floor. He stopped abruptly when he turned a corner into the last, deserted passage.

“Harry, _what_ was that all about?” Ron questioned as he wiped the sweat off his face. “I couldn’t hear anything..”

“Neither could I,” Hannah panted. “Do you feel all right, Prongs?”

But before Harry could answer, Hermione gave a sudden gasp and pointed down the corridor.

_“Look!”_

Something was shining on the wall ahead. They approached slowly, squinting through the darkness. Foot-high words had been painted on the wall between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by the flaming torches.

**THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN**

**OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.**

_“The Chamber of Secrets?”_ Hannah whispered as she and her friends drew closer to the words. They stopped abruptly as their eyes fell on something even more unpleasant than the writing.

“What’s that thing… hanging underneath?” Ron said, a slight quiver in his voice.

As they edged even closer, Harry almost slipped. There was a large puddle of water on the floor, and Ron and Hermione had to catch him to keep him from falling at the same time Hannah flung an arm out protectively to keep him from going forward. The other three looked over Hannah and realized what the dark shadow underneath the writing was at the same time.

Mrs. Norris, Filch’s raggedy cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring. For a few seconds, they didn’t move a muscle. Then Ron, always the sensible one in moments like this, spoke up.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“Shouldn’t we try and help-“ Harry began awkwardly.

“Trust me,” Ron said. “We don’t want to be found here.”

“He’s right,” Hannah said. “We should go-“

But it was too late. A rumble, sounding distinctly like a rumble of distant thunder, told them that the feast had just ended. From either end of the corridor where they stood came the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs, and the loud, happy talk of well-fed people. The next moment, students were crashing into the passage from both ends.

The chatter, the bustle, and the happy noise died suddenly as the people in front spotted the hanging cat. Harry, Ron, Hannah, and Hermione stood alone in the middle of the corridor, each wearing a facial expression similar to a deer caught in headlights. Silence fell among the mass of students pressing forward to see the grisly sight. Then a familiar voice shouted through the quiet.

“Enemies of the Heir, beware! You’ll be next, Mudbloods!”

The four marauders whipped around to see Draco, who had pushed himself to the front of the crowd, his cold eyes alive and glittering with malice, and his usually bloodless face flushed at the sight of the hanging, immobile cat. 

“Say it again, Malfoy,” Hannah snarled as she tried to run at him, but Ron grabbed both her arms and held her back. Draco grinned happily at the sight.

“Oh, will you shut _up_ , Draco,” a high, exasperated-sounding voice, spoke up from the small bunch of Slytherins that were visible. The marauders couldn’t make out who it was through the crowd. “Not all of us believe in that pureblood shit. Leave them alone.”

Draco snapped his head around and made eye contact with the speaker through the crowd, but just as he was opening his mouth to speak to them, a new voice echoed around the hall.

“What’s going on here? What’s going on?”

Attracted no doubt by Draco’s shout, Argus Filch came shouldering his way through the crowd. The exact moment he saw Mrs. Norris, he fell back, clutching his face in horror.

“My cat! My cat! What’s happened to Mrs. Norris?” he shrieked. His popping eyes fell on Harry and Hannah.

 _“You!”_ he screeched. _“You two!_ You’ve murdered my cat! You’ve killed her! I’ll kill you! I’ll-“

_“Argus!”_

Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of other teachers. In seconds, he had swept past Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hannah and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.

“Come with me, Argus,” he said to Filch. “You, too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, Miss Lupin.”

Lockhart stepped forward eagerly. If Harry hadn’t been so distracted with the thought of being framed for killing a cat, he would’ve blushed as Lockhart spoke again.

“My office is nearest, Headmaster… just upstairs… please feel free-“

“Thank you, Gilderoy,” Dumbledore said. 

The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Lockhart, looking excited and important, hurried after Dumbledore as well as Professors McGonagall and Snape. As they entered Lockhart’s office, there was a flurry of movement across the walls. The marauders looked up to see several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. Hannah and Ron exchanged a glance and almost burst out into laughter, but the circumstances were far too stressful.

The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore lay Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her. Harry, Hannah, Ron, and Hermione exchanged tense looks and sank into chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching.

The tip of Dumbledore’s long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norris’s fur. He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking. Minerva was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: It was as though he was trying hard not to smile. Lockhart was hovering around all of them, making suggestions.

“It was definitely a curse that killed her… probably the Transmogrifian Torture… I’ve seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn’t there, I know the very counter curse that would have saved her…”

Hannah made a funny sound between a sneeze and a giggle and Hermione stepped on her foot. Lockhart’s comments were being interrupted every now and then by Filch’s dry, racking sobs. He was slumped in a chair by the desk, unable to look at Mrs. Norris, his face in his hands. Much as the marauders detested Filch, they couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for him, though not as sorry as they were feeling for themselves. If Dumbledore believed Filch, Harry would be expelled for sure. Dumbledore was muttering strange words under his breath and tapping Mrs. Norris with his wand but nothing happened. She continued to look as though she had been recently stuffed.

“…I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadougou,” Lockhart said. “a series of attacks, the full story’s in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once…”

The photographs of Lockhart on the walls were all nodding in agreement as he talked. One of them had forgotten to remove his hairnet. At last, Dumbledore straightened up.

“She’s not dead, Argus,” he said softly.

Lockhart stopped abruptly in the middle of counting the number of murders he had prevented.

“Not dead?” choked Filch, looking through his fingers at Mrs. Norris. “But why’s she all… all stiff and frozen?”

“She has been petrified,” Dumbledore said (“Ah! I thought so!” Lockhart covered for himself). “But how, I cannot say…”

“Ask them!” Filch shrieked, turning his blotched and tearstained face to Harry and Hannah.

“No second year could have done this,” Dumbledore said firmly. “It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced-“

“They did it! They did it!” Filch spat, his pouchy face growing purple. “Everyone knows they do everything together! You saw what they wrote on the wall! They found… in my office… they know I’m a… I’m a…” Filch’s face worked horribly. “They know I’m a Squib!” he finished.

“We never touched Mrs. Norris!” Harry said loudly, uncomfortably aware of everyone looking at him, including all the Lockharts on the walls.

“I mean, we hate her, but not _that_ much,” Hannah said unhelpfully. Everyone turned to look at her and her face grew red. “Plus, we had no idea he was a _Squib_ ,” she lied quickly as she stared at her feet.

“Rubbish!” Filch snarled. “They saw my Kwikspell letter!”

“If I might speak, Headmaster,” Snape said from the shadows, and the four Gryffindors’ sense of foreboding increased; they were sure nothing Snape had to say would do Hannah or Harry any good.

“Potter, Lupin, and their friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said, a slight sneer curling his mouth as though he doubted it. “But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why were they in the upstairs corridor at all? Why weren’t they at the Halloween feast?”

Harry, Ron, Hannah, and Hermione all launched into an explanation about the deathday party. “…there were hundreds of ghosts, they’ll tell you we were there-“

“But why not join the feast afterward?” Snape said, his black eyes glittering in the candlelight. “Why go up to that corridor?”

Ron, Hermione, and Hannah looked at Harry.

“Because… because…” Harry said, his heart thumping very fast; something told him it would sound very far-fetched if he told them he had been led there by a bodiless voice no one but him could hear.

“Because Harry didn’t feel good,” Hannah cut in. “He was getting upset about the deathday party. I’m sure everyone in here knows what day it is,” she looked around the room, daring anyone to question her. Minerva frowned sadly. Snape’s lip curled and his face went white. In truth, it was what Hannah believed had happened. She knew that Harry had been upset for the entire day, even if she didn’t understand it was more because of her behavior than his parent’s death. She wouldn’t have used the excuse if she didn’t think it had been what was going on, but Harry, who did not know this, felt his chest burn with anger towards his friend. She was using his parent’s death as an excuse to get out of trouble. How _dare_ she? He studied the ground and knotted his hands together.

“We were headed upstairs so he could go to bed,” Hannah finished.

“Without any supper?” Snape sneered, regaining his triumphant demeanor as he attempted to corner Hannah. “I didn’t think ghosts provided food fit for living people at their parties. Certainly…” Snape turned to Harry, “You could _stomach_ some food.”

“We weren’t hungry,” Ron spoke up loudly as his stomach gave a huge rumble. Snape’s nasty smile widened.

“I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter and Lupin are not being entirely truthful,” Snape said. “It might be a good idea if they were deprived of certain privileges until they are ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel that they both should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until they are ready to be honest.”

“Really, Severus,” Minerva said sharply as Hannah opened her mouth to give what would have surely been a colorful rebuttal, “I see no reason to stop the children from playing quidditch. This cat wasn’t hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter or Lupin has done anything wrong.”

Dumbledore was giving Harry a searching look. His twinkling light-blue gaze made Harry feel as though he was being X-rayed, and Harry felt even more uncomfortable when he realized Dumbledore wasn’t looking at Hannah at all.

“Innocent until proven guilty, Severus,” Dumbledore said firmly. Snape looked furious. So did Filch.

“My cat has been petrified!” he shrieked, his eyes popping. “I want to see some _punishment!”_

“We will be able to cure her, Argus,” Dumbledore said patiently. “Professor Sprout has recently managed to procure some mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris.”

“I’ll make it,” Lockhart butted in. “I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep-“

“Excuse me,” Snape said icily. “But I believe I am the Potions master at this school.”

There was a very awkward pause. Hannah fought off the urge to laugh.

“You may go,” Dumbledore said to Hannah, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They went as quickly as they could without running. They were forced to turn back down the hallway with the writing and immediately stopped at the sight of three figures waiting for them. Hannah and Hermione smiled and moved forward when they recognized one of them.

“Hello, Luna,” they said in unison. Luna turned away from talking to the girl standing next to her and smiled as the group of Gryffindors approached.

“Hello, Hannah, Hermione,” Luna replied. “I wanted to wait to see if you’d gotten into any trouble.”

“No, not really,” Hannah answered. “Snape was being annoying, though.”

“I’ve noticed that’s typical behavior for him,” Luna smiled.

“Yeah, it is,” Ron snorted.

“I’m sorry,” Harry interrupted. “But who are you guys?”

Hannah and Hermione realized that Harry and Ron had not yet met Luna. They could’ve introduced them but were stopped by the two girls flanking Luna on each side. One of them they recognized as Cho Chang, the pretty Ravenclaw seeker. She was standing closer to Luna than the other girl, who was standing a few inches away from both of them. The other girl had deep, dark brown skin, and long, thin braids that fell down her back. She was wearing Slytherin robes, which was unusual since it was Halloween and she’d been given the option to dress down. She had very pretty features; large almond-colored eyes, high cheekbones, and full lips, and she was carrying herself with a lot of poise and purpose, giving the impression of confidence. She couldn’t have been older than Cho but the marauders did not think they’d ever seen her before.

“I’m Cho,” Cho said as she flashed them a smile and extended her hand to each of them. Harry blushed and was hyper-aware of how sweaty his hand probably was when she took his. “I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m a friend of Luna’s.”

“You’re friends with Luna?” Hannah questioned. She had not forgotten her promise to look out for Luna.

“Oh, yes,” Luna answered. “She’s been very nice to me.”

“Well, everyone was picking on Luna the first night, and one of the prefects didn’t think she should be allowed to sleep in the girl’s dormitory,” Cho explained. “But I was down in the common room and I told him to shut up and let her have a try at the staircase, it won’t let boys in, you know, and he did and it let her right up.” Cho grinned. “The look on his face was rather funny. Luna and I have been friends ever since.”

“That’s good,” Hermione smiled. “We were worried about you, Luna.”

“There’s no need,” Luna said. “It’s just a shame we’re a few years apart and I can’t sleep in the same room as her-“

“I’m sorry,” the Slytherin girl interrupted. “I just need to cut in really quick and then you guys can go back to your conversation.”

The others looked up at her. Hannah raised her eyebrows and the girl grinned.

“I’m Ophelia,” she said in a friendly voice. “Ophelia Fawley. I just wanted to stay and see if you guys had gotten in trouble and I also wanted to apologize.”

“Apologize for what?” Hannah asked.

“For my housemate,” Ophelia said. “The Malfoy boy,” she explained when everyone looked confused. “He’s a total prat and I just wanted to tell you we don’t all think like that. You’re the Muggleborn, right?” she questioned Hermione. She smiled at her when she nodded. “I thought so. I’m sorry you had to hear him say that. My brother has been telling him to shut up about it since last year. The kid hardly ever knows what he's talking about, just repeats what his father tells him. Still, he knows its wrong and he shouldn’t be saying it. I’m sorry he called you that.”

“It’s not your fault,” Hermione blushed. Hannah had felt her respect for the girl rise up with every word she spoke.

“Thanks for saying that,” Hannah smiled. “Its good to know someone else sees our side. He’s so annoying, isn’t he?”

It was clear that Hannah was trying to engage Ophelia in more conversation. 

Ophelia just smiled.

“Yeah, he is,” she said simply. “Well, that’s all I wanted to say. I’ll see you guys around.”

The others said goodbye and waved as Ophelia turned and walked down the hallway, headed to the Slytherin dorms.

“It was nice to meet you!” Hannah called as she stood up on her tippy-toes and waved again at Ophelia. The other girl turned for a second at the sound and waved back at Hannah before she made her way around the corner and disappeared out of sight. Hannah grinned as her heels touched back on the ground. Ophelia was nice. Hannah didn’t know exactly how old she was or why she’d never seen her before but… still. She was pretty. Hannah felt herself blush. Hermione introducing Luna to the boys was a dull sound in the back of her head. Hannah didn’t exactly know how to sort her feelings for the Slytherin girl. They felt similar to how Hannah felt when she was close to Harry, but then again, Hannah hadn’t bothered to sort those feelings either. She supposed she could think they were both nice to look at… her father had told her once there was a term for that but Hannah had been watching tv and thought he was being annoying at the time and therefore hadn’t bothered to listen. She’d have to ask him again.

“You’re Harry Potter, yes I know,” Luna said as she shook hands with Harry. She watched as his face fell and his demeanor seemed to pull back. “Oh, I see, you must not like that. I wouldn’t either if it was me. Don’t worry, I won’t do it again.”

Harry’s eyes widened at Luna. Her own large silver-blue eyes were watching him intensely, and it gave him the same feeling he got when Dumbledore stared him down, just with a few key differences. Luna’s gaze seemed far more friendly than Dumbledore’s, for starters, and he did not get the same impression that he usually got when he met people; the impression that they were racking their brains for every word they’d ever heard about Harry Potter. Luna did not seem to care much. She was talking to him the exact same way she was talking to Ron, and to Hannah, and to Hermione, and to Cho. Harry felt so… _normal_ around her. He could feel himself grinning as Luna spoke, not even really taking in the words she was saying but just enjoying being spoken to like he was anyone else. He almost forgot his anger for Hannah in the few minutes they were speaking.

A clock chimed somewhere and interrupted Luna informing Ron that his hair color in particular attracted some sort of creature called a nargle.

“Midnight,” Harry said. “We’d better get to bed before Snape comes along and tries to frame us for something else.”

“Right,” Hannah agreed. Harry felt his chest rise with anger at the casual tone she spoke to him in. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Cho. And nice to see you again, Luna.”

“Same here,” Cho said.

“Bye!” Luna called in her sing-song voice. They went to part ways but before the marauders could head in the opposite direction of the two Ravenclaws, Luna stopped Harry with a gentle hand and pulled him into a hug. Harry, confused about why he was being hugged, awkwardly set his hands on Luna’s small shoulders, and patted her. Luna pulled away and flashed a smile at him.

“You look like you needed a hug,” she explained. “Nice to meet you!”

And they turned around to walk back to their dormitory. The marauders set off in the opposite direction.

“She’s amazing,” Ron burst out once they were out of earshot. “Why were you two hiding her from us?”

“We weren’t _hiding_ her, Ron,” Hermione said with a roll of her eyes.

“We met her a couple of days ago in the loo,” Hannah explained. Hermione looked at her curiously, asking without asking if she was going to explain the circumstances they’d met under. Hannah pulled a face and Hermione smiled slightly, understanding why Hannah did not want to go into detail.

“Well I think she’s brilliant,” Ron said. “And what are nargles?”

“No idea,” Hannah answered. Ron turned to grin at her as they began their walk up a large flight of stairs.

“You seem like you made a new friend,” he said teasingly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hannah said.

“Oh… nothing… just seemed excited to talk to Ophelia,” Ron grinned.

“Shut up.”

Hannah was blushing furiously. Harry looked over at her with his eyebrows furrowed. It seemed Hannah was attracted to her own sex as well. And Ron was teasing her about it like he’d do with anyone else. Perhaps Harry could share and talk about his feelings towards Lockhart. He felt excitement grow in his throat and he was just about to speak up when Hannah interrupted.

“Well, what about Harry!” Hannah said, obviously trying to steer Ron’s teasing away from herself as they climbed through the portrait hole and made their way up to the boy’s dormitory. Dean, Neville, and Seamus were all sitting by the fire chatting happily, so the dorm would be empty for the marauders.

“What about me?” Harry said.

“You were totally making eyes at Cho,” Hannah said, her face still bright red from Ron’s teasing. Harry felt his anger for her grow again as they walked into the second-year boy’s room and shut the door behind them.

“So what,” Harry spat.

“So,” Hannah said as she walked over to the record player and flicked through their favorites. “Let’s talk about that instead.”

“That’s true you were totally staring,” Ron said. Hermione was bored with their conversation and was already making her way over to Harry’s bed to sit down. 

“Was not,” Harry said.

“Ugh… got to get that weird tune from the deathday party out of my head,” Hannah said as she fiddled with a record. “How about some of our lord and savior instead…”

Hermione smiled as a familiar tune began to play.

“Ouuu… keep this one on, Pads.”

“Agreed.”

_‘I'm an alligator, I'm a mama-papa coming for you_

_I'm the space invader, I'll be a rock 'n' rollin' bitch for you’_

Hannah shouted the words along and began a spastic dance. Harry glared daggers at her as Ron continued to tease.

“Suppose it’s because she’s better at quidditch-“

“Shut up-“ Harry began.

“Oi, no, Prongs, shut up I’m trying to dance,” Hannah said. And that was it. Harry felt his anger towards his friend spill out like vomit.

“You shut up!” Harry spat. Hannah stopped dancing to stare at him with wide eyes.

“What’s your problem-“

“What’s my problem?” Harry repeated in a sarcastic tone. “You used my parents’ death as an excuse to get out of detention! I thought you of all people would understand why _not_ to fucking do that! I mean, anyone with common decency would, but you most of all!”

There was silence for a few seconds, nothing but the song from the record player could be heard as Hannah and Harry stared each other down and Ron and Hermione watched awkwardly from the sidelines.

_‘Keep your 'lectric eye on me babe_

_Put your ray gun to my head_

_Press your space face close to mine, love_

_Freak out in a Moonage daydream oh yeah’_

“Harry…” Hannah began. Her voice was full of regret and something that sounded like shame, which was unusual for her. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I kind of just assumed that that was what was wrong and-“

“Of course that’s not what was wrong!” Harry said. “I heard a murderous voice and you blame it on my parents dying today!”

“Well I didn’t think you’d want to tell them about the voice-“

“That doesn’t mean you use their deaths as an _excuse!”_

_‘Don't fake it, baby, lay the real thing on me_

_The church of man, love, is such a holy place to be’_

“You’re right,” Hannah’s voice cracked with emotion and she moved closer to Harry. “You’re absolutely right. But I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t think that’s what happened.”

“You don’t believe me about the voice?” Harry’s voice was now softer and full of hurt. Hannah reached out with both hands and grabbed Harry’s arms gently.

“No… I believe you. I just panicked in the moment. I totally believe you, and so do they-“ Hannah looked over at Ron and Hermione and they both nodded furiously. “I shouldn’t have said it, though. It was just my first thought.”

_‘Make me baby, make me know you really care_

_Make me jump into the air’_

“I did hear a voice,” Harry said. “The same voice I heard in Lockhart’s office. It was horrible.”

“I believe you, Prongs, you don’t have to try to convince me,” Hannah said. “I’m sorry I doubted you.”

“I’m sorry I yelled,” Harry blushed, becoming aware of Hannah’s hands on his arms now that his temper had gone down.

“That’s completely understandable,” Hannah said. Harry smiled and pulled away, looking at Ron and Hermione.

“And you two believe me as well… right?”

“’Course we do,” Ron said immediately. “But… you must admit it’s weird…”

“I know it’s weird,” Harry said. “The whole thing’s weird. What was that writing on the wall about? _The Chamber Has Been Opened_ … What was that supposed to mean?”

“You know, it rings a sort of bell,” Ron said slowly. “I think someone told me a story about a secret chamber at Hogwarts once… might have been Bill…”

_‘Keep your 'lectric eye on me babe_

_Put your ray gun to my head_

_Press your space face close to mine, love_

_Freak out in a Moonage daydream oh yeah’_

Hannah sighed.

“Who knows, my dad never mentioned it,” she said. “But if Malfoy knows about it, it must be dark.”

“Malfoy? Dark? _No,_ ” Hermione said sarcastically. _“So_ out of character.”

The others burst into crazed, tired laughter. Dean, Neville, and Seamus came in seconds later to find them still giggling uncontrollably and looked at the girls curiously as they waved them all off and went to bed, Hannah switching the record off between tired giggles.

That night, sure enough, Harry woke up to a flash of green light disappearing behind his eyes. He sent himself back to sleep with the pattern of Ron and Neville’s snores echoing in his head, telling himself firmly over and over again:

_I’m at Hogwarts. I’m at home._

**

Remus was spread out on his bed, staring at the dark ceiling, and trying to force himself into sleep. He’d visited the Potter’s grave that day, like he always did on the day of their deaths. It had been only the second time he’d had to do it without Hannah, and it had been just as hard as the year before. They kept up with the flowers on the Potter’s grave together and were fully responsible for them getting changed on Christmas, Halloween, and both Lily and James’ birthdays. Remus absolutely detested having to do it by himself, especially this close to the full moon.

He forced his eyes closed, trying to slow his breathing into sleep.

A thousand miles away, a pair of silver eyes were doing the exact same thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Moonage Daydream by our lord and savior, David Bowie


	22. Cry Baby - Year Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the Chamber of Secrets

For a few days, the school could talk of nothing else but the attack on Mrs. Norris. Filch kept it fresh in everyone’s minds by pacing the spot where she had been attacked like he thought the attacker might come back for his stuffed cat. The marauders had seen him scrubbing the message on the wall with Mrs. Skower’s s All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover, but to no effect; the words still gleamed as brightly as ever on the stone. When Filch wasn’t guarding the scene of the crime, he was skulking red-eyed through the corridors, lunging out at unsuspecting students, and trying to put them in detention for things like “breathing loudly” and “looking happy”.

The marauders each got their handful of detention threats from Filch, something they supposed was just because they’d been at the scene first and Filch still suspected them.

“If I have to explain to Minerva one more time why I have a slip for my shoes squeaking, I’m going to play beater with Mrs. Norris,” Hannah growled one night after returning from Professor McGonagall’s office for the third time that week.

Ginny gave a sniffle and they all looked over at her in concern. She’d been very disturbed by Mrs. Norris’s fate. According to Ron, she was a great cat lover.

“You’ve got to stop pitying that ugly thing, Gin,” Ron said bracingly. “You haven’t really got to know Mrs. Norris. Honestly, we’re much better off without her.”

Ginny’s bottom lip trembled and Hermione sighed as she put her book down and took a seat next to Ginny on the couch so she could put her arm around the other girl.

“Stuff like this doesn’t happen at Hogwarts,” Ron assured her. “They’ll catch the maniac who did it and have them out of here in no time. I just hope they’ve got time to petrify Filch before they’re expelled. I’m only joking…” he added hastily as Ginny paled. Hermione huffed next to her.

“Oh, honestly, Ron, that’s not going to help,” she said and Ginny turned to look at her. “Mrs. Norris will be fine, Gin. And Ron was right about one thing… they will catch whoever did it and they’ll most definitely be expelled.”

“Thank you, someone gives me some credit,” Ron smirked. Hermione ignored him. The attack had also had an effect on her as well. It was quite usual for Hermione to spend a lot of time reading, but she was now doing almost nothing else. When she wasn’t trying to comfort Ginny or being dragged by her arm out of the library by Hannah, she had her nose buried deep in several different old books. The other three couldn’t get much response from her when they asked what she was up to, though Hannah had some idea from Hermione asking her to translate different words from Latin to English. But not until the following Wednesday did they all find out for sure.

Harry had been held back in Potions by Snape, who had made him stay behind to perform the unpleasant task of scraping tubeworms off the desks all by himself since he’d accidentally dropped a few on his way to his cauldron. After a hurried lunch, he went upstairs to meet Ron, Hermione, and Hannah in the library, and saw Justin Finch-Fletchley, the Hufflepuff boy from Herbology, coming toward him. Harry had just opened his mouth to say hello when Justin caught sight of him, turned abruptly, and sped off in the opposite direction. Harry stopped in his tracks, confused, and rather hurt at Justin’s actions, but he shook his head and made his way to the library to get his friend’s opinions.

Harry found Ron and Hannah at the back of the library, Hannah grinning and swinging her feet under the table as she watched Ron measure his History of Magic essay. Professor Binns had asked for a three-foot-long composition on “The Medieval Assembly of European Wizards.” Hannah had already finished it.

“I don’t believe it, I’m still eight inches short…” Ron said furiously, letting go of his parchment, which sprang back into a roll. “And Hermione’s done four feet seven inches and her writing is _tiny.”_

“Where is she?” Harry asked, grabbing the tape measure, and unrolling his own homework.

“Dunno,” Hannah answered.

“Somewhere over there,” Ron said, pointing along the shelves. “Looking for another book. I think she’s trying to read the whole library before Christmas.”

Hannah smiled but didn’t comment on how closely Ron had been paying attention to where Hermione went in the library. But Harry soon grabbed her attention by telling them both what had happened with Justin Finch-Fletchly.

“That’s odd,” Hannah said with a frown.

“Dunno why you care. I thought he was a bit of an idiot,” Ron said as he scribbled away, making his writing as large as possible. “All that junk about Lockhart being so great…”

“Well, it doesn’t matter if he’s an idiot he’s being a prat to Prongs,” Hannah said. “Well… I thought he seemed nice. Do you want me to go ask him why?”

“No,” Harry said immediately. Hannah’s protectiveness over her friends was always very touching and could come in handy at times but it could get nasty if pushed. “I’m sure I’ll find out eventually.”

Hermione emerged from between the bookshelves. She looked irritable but it seemed, at last, she was ready to talk to them. 

_“All_ the copies of _Hogwarts, A History_ have been taken out,” she said, sitting down next to Hannah and Ron. “And there’s a two-week waiting list. I _wish_ I hadn’t left my copy at home, but I couldn’t fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books.”

“What a shame,” Hannah grinned. Hermione looked around like she’d been shocked.

“Padfoot! Did you bring your copy? I know you have one.”

Hannah pulled a face.

“Hell, no. I needed to make room for my broomstick.”

Hermione sat back in her seat with a huff.

“Why do you want it?” Harry asked.

“The same reason everyone else wants it,” Hermione said, “to read up on the legend of the Chamber of Secrets.”

“What’s that?” Harry said.

“We can’t remember,” Hannah answered. “It was in that book, that’s for sure, but my dad never mentioned it and I’m fuzzy on the details.”

“I can’t find the story anywhere else either-“ Hermione said.

“Moony, let me read your composition,” Ron said desperately, checking his watch.

“No, I won’t,” Hermione said, her voice suddenly severe and not unlike Minerva’s. “You’ve had ten days to finish it-“

“I only need another two inches, come on…”

“Just take mine,” Hannah said as she pushed it towards him.

“Hannah, no! How will he learn?” Hermione said, offended as Ron grabbed Hannah’s and began scribbling frantically.

“He doesn’t need to learn! It’s History of Magic, it's just a bunch of old white dudes sitting on their arses and committing mass genocide. Who cares-“

“I care, we need to learn history to understand why things are the way they are today!”

“Maybe if they didn’t glorify the gross white dudes I’d pay better attention, but they’ve got a fucking ghost from who knows what century-“

The bell rang. Hannah and Hermione led the way to History of Magic, bickering all the way.

History of Magic turned out to be as boring as ever. Professor Binns opened his notes and began to read in a flat drone like an old vacuum cleaner until nearly everyone in the class was in a deep stupor, occasionally coming to long enough to copy down a name or date, then falling asleep again. Hannah and Harry were engaged in a lazy game of footsie when something that had never happened in that particular class happened; Hermione put up her hand.

Professor Binns, glancing up in the middle of a deadly dull lecture on the International Warlock Convention of 1289, looked amazed.

“Miss… er…?”

“Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets,” Hermione said in a clear voice. Dean, who had been sitting with his mouth hanging open, gazing out of the window, jerked out of his trance; Lavender’s head came up off her arms and Neville’s elbow slipped off his desk.

Professor Binns blinked.

“My subject is History of Magic,” he said in his dry, wheezy voice. “I deal with facts, Miss Granger, not myths and legends. “ He cleared his throat with a small noise like chalk snapping and continued, “In September of that year, a subcommittee of Sardinian sorcerers-“

He stuttered to a halt. Hermione’s hand was waving in the air again.

“Miss Grant?”

“Please, sir, don’t legends always have a basis in fact?”

Professor Binns was staring at her in such amazement, the whole class was quite sure no one had ever interrupted him before, alive, or dead.

“Well,” Professor Binns said slowly, “yes, one could argue that I suppose.” He peered at Hermione as though he had never seen a student properly before. “However, the legend of which you speak is such a _sensational,_ even _ludicrous_ tale-“

But the whole class was now hanging on Professor Binn’s every word. He looked dimly at them all, every face turned to his. Hannah and Ron exchanged a look; they could tell he was completely thrown by such an unusual show of interest.

“Oh, very well…” he said slowly. “Let me see… the Chamber of Secrets… You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago… the precise date is uncertain… by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution.”

He paused, gazed blearily around the room, and continued.

“For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magical families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy.”

“Sound like anyone we know?” Ron whispered to Hannah and she grunted in response. Several people shushed them.

“After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school. Reliable historical sources tell us this much. But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing. Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic.”

There was a silence as he finished telling the story, but it wasn’t the usual, sleepy silence that filled Professor Binn’s classes. There was unease in the air as everyone continued to watch him, hoping for more. Professor Binns looked faintly annoyed.

“The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course,” he said. “Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible.”

Hermione’s hand was back in the air.

“Sir… what exactly do you mean by the ‘horror within’ the Chamber?”

“That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control,” Professor Binns said in his dry voice. The class exchanged nervous looks.

“I tell you, the thing does not exist,” Professor Binns said, shuffling his notes. “There is no Chamber and no monster.”

“But, sir,” Seamus said, “if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin’s true heir, no one else would be able to find it, would they?”

“Nonsense, Flaherty,” Professor Binns said in an aggravated tone. “If a long succession of Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses haven’t found the thing-“

“But, Professor,” Parvati piped up, “you’d probably have to use Dark Magic to open it-“

“Just because a wizard doesn’t use Dark Magic doesn’t mean he can’t, Pennyfeather,” Binns snapped. “I repeat; if the likes of Dumbledore-“

“But maybe you’ve got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn’t-“ Dean began, but Professor Binns had had enough.

“That will do,” he said sharply. “It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence-“

“But, sir,” Hannah interrupted. “Who at Hogwarts is gifted enough in the Dark Arts to petrify a cat and make that writing on the wall permanent? Couldn’t that only possibly be the monster-“

 _“Enough,_ Black!” Professor Binns almost shouted. Hannah choked on her words and sat back in her seat; eyes glazed as she watched Binns try to gather himself. She could hardly feel Ron, Hermione, and Harry’s eyes on her. “You will not interrupt me in my own class! As I was saying, there is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to _history,_ to solid, believable, verifiable _fact!”_

And the rest of the class sunk back into its usual stupor, with the exception of four. Hermione was turned all the way around in her seat, whispering very fast while Ron and Harry crowded around Hannah’s desk. The black-haired girl looked like she’d been slapped directly across the face.

“It’s fine, Hannah, look, he got everyone’s name wrong… it was probably just a simple mistake-“

“Does Black sound anything like Lupin?’ Hannah said in a dazed whisper.

“Well… no… but-“

“Ugh,” Hannah made a sound like she was going to throw up as she shifted in her seat. “I feel disgusting.”

“Hannah-“

“No, I’ll tell you what it is, he’s taught him before. And I have to look like him and you can’t even deny when you see a picture, we look alike. It’s _revolting.”_

Ron and Harry exchanged a look over Hannah’s shoulder; she did resemble Sirius quite a lot.

“It’s not your fault-“ Hermione started again.

“I know it’s not my bloody fault, but it’s annoying. It makes me feel dirty. Knowing that he’s walked these halls and sat in these seats and had my same teachers. Knowing that they probably all see him for a second when they look at me. Why can’t I look more like my dad or Marlene-“ Hannah broke down and placed her head in her hands. Hermione frowned as she tried to pry her hands apart. The rest of the class was far too distracted in their own daydreams to see the marauder’s hushed conversation.

“What did you say?” Hermione whispered. Hannah was mumbling under her breath but she jerked her head up when Hermione spoke and stared at her. Tears were streaming down her face.

“I said I fucking hate him. I wish he was dead. I wish I could kill him.”

The others were silent for a second, shocked by Hannah’s words. Harry reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

“You don’t mean that-“ Ron started.

“I promise you, I do,” Hannah said. “I’m sick of him. I wish I could just have dad. I wish he never existed. Tired of hearing about him.” The last sentence was a grumble as she sunk her head into the comfort of her arms and proceeded to ignore her friends for the rest of the class.

The other three exchanged looks but opted to leave her alone after a few minutes. When the bell rang, Hannah shot up out of her seat like everyone else, wiping her eyes with her sleeve and putting on a smile for her friends’ sake. She made it abundantly clear that she did not want to talk about what had just happened. So they walked out of the class together in silence, awkwardly bumping arms as they made their way through the busy corridors.

“Well, what did you guys think about what Binns said?” Hannah said to break the ice. Relief visibly flushed through Ron’s face and he grinned at Hannah.

“Thought it was a bit predictable. I always knew Salazar Slytherin was a twisted old loony,” he said with a smirk. “But I never knew he started all this pure-blood stuff. I wouldn’t be in his house if you paid me. Honestly, if the Sorting Hat had tried to put me in Slytherin, I’d’ve got the train straight back home…”

Hermione nodded fervently as Hannah opened her mouth to argue back that not all Slytherins were bad, mind going straight to Ophelia, the girl that had stayed behind to apologize for Draco’s actions. But Harry didn’t say anything at all, as his stomach had just dropped unpleasantly.

When Harry had his turn with the Sorting Hat, it had seriously considered putting _him_ in Slytherin. He’d never told his friends about it, and quite frankly tried not to think about it much himself, but he could remember, as though it were yesterday, the small voice that had spoken in his ear when he’d placed the hat on his head a year before:

_You could be great, you know, it’s all here in your head, and Slytherin would help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that…_

But Harry, who had already heard of Slytherin House’s reputation for turning out Dark wizards, had thought desperately:

_Not Slytherin!_

And the hat had said:

_Oh, well, if you’re sure… better be Gryffindor…_

Harry was so wrapped up in his thoughts he could hardly hear Ron and Hannah’s playful banter. However, as they were shunted along in the through, a high-pitched voice broke his deep thoughts.

“Hiya, Harry!” Colin Creevy said as he went past.

“Hullo, Colin,” Harry said automatically. Hannah and Ron giggled and Hermione rolled her eyes.

“Harry… Harry… a boy in my class has been saying you’re-“

But Colin was so small he couldn’t fight against the tide of people bearing him toward the Great Hall. They heard him squeak, “See you, Harry!” before he disappeared.

“What’s a boy in his class saying about you?” Hermione wondered.

“That I’m Slytherin’s heir, I expect,” Harry said, his stomach dropping another inch as he suddenly remembered the way Justin Finch-Fletchly had run away from him at lunchtime.

“People here’ll believe anything,” Ron snorted in disgust.

“Bunch of idiots,” Hannah added helpfully, “don’t let them bother you, Prongs.”

The crowd thinned and they were able to climb the next staircase without difficulty.

“D’you really think there’s a Chamber of Secrets?” Ron asked Hermione.

“I don’t know,” she said, frowning. “Dumbledore couldn’t cure Mrs. Norris, and that makes me think that whatever attacked her might not be… well… human.”

“Like what I said,” Hannah said in a proud voice.

“Exactly, Padfoot, thank you,” Hermione responded. As she spoke, they turned a corner and found themselves at the end of the very corridor where the attack had happened. They stopped and looked. The scene was just as it had been that night, except no stiff cat was hanging from the torch bracket, and an empty chair stood against the wall bearing the message, “The Chamber of Secrets has been Opened.”

“That’s where Filch has been keeping guard,” Ron muttered. They looked at each other. The corridor was deserted.

“Can’t hurt to have a poke around,” Harry said, dropping his bag and getting to his hands and knees so that he could crawl along, searching for clues. Hannah snorted behind him.

“Okay, Sherlock,” she teased before she took got down and searched beside him.

“Scorch marks!” he said. “Here… and here-“

“Weird,” Hannah muttered as she ran her fingers across one. “What could’ve made these?”

“Come and look at this!” Hermione said. “This is funny…”

Harry and Hannah got up and crossed to the window next to the message on the wall. Hermione was pointing at the topmost pane, where around twenty spiders were scuttling, apparently fighting to get through a small crack. A long, silvery thread was dangling like a rope, as though they had all climbed it in their hurry to get outside.

“Have you ever seen spiders act like that?” Hermione said wonderingly.

“Never,” Hannah replied.

“No,” Harry said, “have you, Ron? Ron?”

He looked over his shoulder. Ron was standing well back and seemed to be fighting the impulse to run.

“What’s up?” Harry asked.

“I… don’t… like… spiders,” Ron said tensely.

“I never knew that,” Hermione said, looking at Ron in surprise. “You’ve used spiders in Potions loads of times…”

“I don’t mind them dead,” Ron said as he looked anywhere but the window. “I just don’t like the way they move…”

Hermione giggled and Hannah bit her lip to hold back a snicker. Harry put on his best ‘always-on-your-side’ friend expression as Ron’s ears reddened.

“It’s not funny,” Ron said fiercely. “If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my… my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his toy broomstick… You wouldn’t like them either if you’d been holding your bear and suddenly it had too many legs and..”

He broke off, shuddering.

“Traumatic,” Hannah said, nodding solemnly. “One time when I was nine I was riding Stardust and it had a spider on it and I crashed and broke my arm.”

The other three looked at her.

“What?” Hannah said defensively.

“Do you always have to one-up me?” Ron said.

“I’m not one-upping you, my trauma was just cooler,” Hannah grinned.

“Trauma can’t be _cool,”_ Ron retorted.

“It can if you’re nine and can already ride a motorbike,” Hannah replied. Hermione broke out into a fit of giggles and Ron’s ears grew red again. Feeling they better get off the subject, Harry said, “Remember all that water on the floor? Where did that come from? Someone’s mopped it up.”

“It was about here,” Ron said, recovering himself to walk a few paces past Filch’s chair and pointing. “Level with this door.”

He reached for the brass doorknob but suddenly withdrew his hand as though he’d been burned.

“What’s the matter?” Harry said.

“Can’t go in there,” Ron said gruffly. “That’s a girl’s toilet.”

 _“Boo,”_ Hannah teased.

“Oh, Wormtail, there won’t be anyone in there,” Hermione said, standing up and coming over. “That’s Moaning Myrtle’s place. Come on, let’s have a look.”

And ignoring the large OUT OF ORDER sign, she opened the door. It was the gloomiest, most depressing bathroom they’d ever set foot in. Under a large, cracked, and spotted mirror were a row of chipped sinks. The floor was damp and reflected the dull light given off by the stubs of a few candles, burning low in their holders; the wooden doors to the stalls were flaking and scratched and one of them was hanging off its hinges.

Hermione put her finger to her lips as she led the way toward the end stall, Hannah right behind her and the boys following nervously. When she reached it she said, “Hello, Myrtle, how are you?”

Moaning Myrtle was floating above the tank of the toilet, picking a spot on her chin.

“This is a _girls’_ bathroom,” she said, eyeing Ron and Harry suspiciously. _“They’re_ not girls.”

“How do you know?” Hannah said. Myrtle looked thrown off and Hermione shuffled uncomfortably.

“No,” Hermione said in an attempt to steer the conversation into calm territory. “They’re not. I just wanted to show them how… er… nice it is in here.”

She waved vaguely at the dirty old mirror and the damp floor.

“Ask her if she saw anything,” Harry mouthed to Hermione.

“What are you whispering?” Myrtle said sharply, staring at him.

“Nothing,” Harry said quickly. “We wanted to ask-“

“I wish people would stop talking behind my back!” Myrtle said, in a voice choked with tears. “I _do_ have feelings, you know, even if I _am_ dead-“

“Myrtle, no one wants to upset you,” Hermione said. “Harry only-“

“No one wants to upset me! That’s a good one!” Myrtle howled. “My life was nothing but misery at this place and now people come along ruining my death!”

“He wasn’t saying anything bad-“ Hannah started but Hermione cut her off.

“We wanted to ask you if you’ve seen anything funny lately,” she said quickly. “Because a cat was attacked right outside your front door on Halloween.”

“Did you see anyone near here that night?” Harry asked.

“I wasn’t paying attention,” Myrtle said dramatically. “Peeves upset me so much I came in here to cry and couldn’t hear anything over the sounds of my… my…”

“Moans?” Ron said helpfully. Myrtle gave a tragic sob, rose into the air, turned over, and dived headfirst into the toilet, splashing water all over them and vanishing from sight, although from the direction of her muffled sobs, she had come to rest someone in the U-bend.

Harry and Ron stood with their mouths open, but Hannah and Hermione shrugged in unison.

“Honestly, that was almost cheerful for Myrtle… come on, let’s go…” Hermione said. They went back through the bathroom, complaining about the wetness of their robes as they went. Hannah stuck her arms out and shook furiously like a dog, causing Hermione to shout with disgust and getting Harry and Ron to copy her with large grins. Harry had barely closed the door on Myrtle’s gurgling sobs when a loud voice made all three of them jump.

“RON!”

Percy had stopped dead at the head of the stairs, prefect badge gleaming on his chest, an expression of complete shock on his pointed face.

“That’s a girl’s bathroom,” he gasped. “What were _you_ -?”

“Just having a look around,” Ron shrugged. “Clues, you know-“

Percy swelled in a manner that reminded Harry forcefully of Mrs. Weasley.

“Get… away… from… there…” Percy said, striding toward them and starting to bustle them along, flapping his arms.

“Watch it,” Hannah warned as he pushed her shoulder. Percy ignored her.

“Don’t you _care_ what this looks like? Coming back here while everyone’s at dinner-“

“Why shouldn’t we be here?” Ron said hotly, stopping short and glaring at Percy. “Listen, we never laid a finger on that cat!”

“That’s what I told Ginny,” Percy said fiercely, “but she still seems to think you’re going to be expelled, I’ve never seen her so upset, crying her eyes out, you might think of _her_ , all the first years are thoroughly overexcited by this business-“

 _“You_ don’t care about Ginny,” Ron said, his ears reddening. “You’re worried I’m going to mess up your chances of being Head Boy-“

“Five points from Gryffindor!” Percy said tersely, fingering his prefect badge. “And I hope it teaches you a lesson! No more _detective work_ or I’ll write to mum!”

And he strode off, the back of his neck as red as Ron’s ears.

“What a prat,” Hannah offered as she put a hand on Ron’s shoulder and steered him in the other direction.

“Yeah,” Ron fumed, walking a few paces ahead of the other three in his anger.

**

The four marauders chose seats as far away as possible from Percy in the common room that night. Ron was still in a very bad temper and kept blotting his Charms homework. When he reached absently for his want to remove the smudges, it ignited the parchment. Fuming almost as much as his homework, Ron slammed The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 shut. To Hannah and Harry's surprise, Hermione followed suit.

“Who can it be, though?” she said in a quiet voice, as though continuing a conversation they’d just been having. “Who’d want to frighten all the Squibs and Muggle-borns out of Hogwarts?”

“Let’s think,” Ron said in mock-puzzlement. “Who do we know who thinks Muggle-borns are scum?”

He looked at Hermione. Hermione looked back, unconvinced.

“If you’re talking about Malfoy-“

“Of course I am!” Ron said. “You heard him… _‘You’ll be next, Mudbloods!’_ … come on, you’ve only got to look at his foul rat face to know it’s him-“

“Malfoy, the Heir of Slytherin?” Hermione said skeptically.

“Look at his family,” Harry said, closing his book, too. “The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin; he’s always boasting about it. They could easily be Slytherin’s descendants. His father’s definitely evil enough.”

Hannah closed her own book at last.

“Do you think I’m the Heir, Harry?” she asked in a dangerous tone. The other three whipped their heads around to her. It was unlike Hannah not to use the nicknames they’d gotten from the map when addressing Harry.

“What… no... I mean-“

“But it could only possibly be kept in the family, could it not?” Hannah snapped. “So am I the Heir or a raging murderer? Though I guess those would be the same thing, would they not?”

It was clear that what Binns had said in class earlier was still weighing heavily on Hannah’s conscious.

“Hannah, you’re not being fair,” Hermione piped up, saving Harry from his stuttering. “If you want to talk about what happened today, we can, but you can’t be mad at Harry for generalizing like that.”

“Of course I can,” Hannah snapped back. “He wants to call all Slytherins bad when I told him what half my family tree looks like.”

“Hannah, I’m sorry,” Harry said, shifting in his seat uncomfortably as he looked over at her. “I didn’t mean… obviously you aren’t… I know…”

“Oh, okay, fine,” Hannah huffed. “It’s fine. I just wish… I wish… that I wasn’t.”

She didn’t finish her sentence but the others knew what she meant.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Hermione asked kindly.

“No…” Hannah said immediately. “No. Not right now. I want to just be with you guys right now.”

They smiled at her and Ron broke the ice again.

“Well, I still think it’s Malfoy. Not because of the Slytherin stuff but because of the vibe, you know. Not to mention his father is a real git. They could’ve had a key or something, and he’s just passed it down to Malfoy,” Ron theorized.

“Well,” Hermione said cautiously. “I suppose it’s possible…”

“If its anyone in this school, its Malfoy,” Hannah said matter-of-factly.

“But how do we prove it?” Harry asked.

“There might be a way,” Hermione said slowly, dropping her voice still further with a glance across the room at Percy. “Of course, it would be difficult. And dangerous, very dangerous. We’d be breaking about fifty school rules, I expect-“

“If in a month or so, you feel like explaining, you will let us know, won’t you?” Ron said irritably.

“All right,” Hermione said coldly. “What we’d need to do is to get inside the Slytherin common room and ask Malfoy a few questions without him realizing it’s us.”

“But that’s impossible,” Harry said as Ron and Hannah laughed.

“No, it’s not,” Hermione said. “All we’d need would be some Polyjuice Potion.”

“You’re mental,” Hannah said immediately. The other two were lost.

“What’s that?” Harry and Ron said in unison.

“Snape mentioned it in class a few weeks ago-“

“D’you think we’ve got nothing better to do in potions that listen to Snape?” Ron muttered.

“It transforms you into somebody else,” Hermione informed. “Think about it! We could change into four of the Slytherins. No one would know it was us. Malfoy would probably tell us anything. He’s probably boasting about it in the Slytherin common room right now, if only we could hear him.”

“This Polyjuice stuff sounds a bit dodgy to me,” Ron said with a frown, “What if we were stuck looking like four of the Slytherins forever?”

“It wears off after a while,” Hermione said, waving her hand impatiently. “But getting hold of the recipe will be very difficult. Snape said it was in a book called _Moste Potente Potions_ and it's bound to be in the Restricted Section of the library.”

“So we take the map and the cloak and go get it,” Hannah said cheerfully. “Come on,” she rose out of her chair, “we can go now and see everything we need in time to steal from potions tomorrow!”

“Padfoot, don’t you remember what happened the last time we tried to sneak into the library?” Hermione said exasperatedly.

“The books scream,” Harry answered, eyes wide as he remembered the experience.

“Yes, thank you, Prongs, the books scream,” Hermione said.

“Oh, yeah,” Hannah said with a frown as she lowered herself back into her seat.

“So, we’ll have to get a signed note from a teacher,” Hermione started up again.

“Hard to see why we’d want the book, really,” Ron said, “if we weren’t going to try and make one of the potions.”

“I think,” Hermione said, “that if we made it sound as though we were just interested in the theory, we might stand a chance…”

“Oh, come on, no teacher’s going to fall for that,” Ron said. “They’d have to be really thick…”

His voice slowed and he and Hannah made eye contact. Hannah’s face broke out into a lopsided grin.

“Lockhart.”

“Excellent,” Harry said, his face breaking out into a grin as well, revealing those two pronounced canine teeth in the front that just said; I am up to no good.

**

Remus had finally lost his job. It had been bound to happen, of course, what with all the missed days and the mornings coming in late with new scars and limps. The boss that had been so sympathetic towards him in the beginning had grown questioning, and since Remus never actually had any real answers to his questions, he had finally had enough.

The days following the full moon were never a fun experience for Remus either way, but now that he’d lost his own source of income on top of getting a new scar that slit his eyebrow into three pieces, he was in a rather rotten mood. He’d made up with Andromeda a few weeks previous, of course, and while there had been a lot of tears on both sides and the occasional angry outburst from one of them, Andromeda had finally succumbed to Remus’ strange power of getting people to listen to him no matter what and had dropped the subject altogether, admitting that she just simply would not be able to understand. It had hurt Remus quite a lot, to have to sift through old memories and explain himself, but he was glad he had finally gotten the guts to do it. It had not been the first argument with Andromeda about Sirius, but he did hope it would be the last.

But with all that being said, that did not change the fact that Remus was not too keen to tell Andromeda about his loss of a job. He knew she’d just rant on once again about how he didn’t need it in the first place, which would spark yet another argument because she could not understand that the money had not been left for Remus. Surely not. Sirius would have had to have hated him like he obviously did James, Lily, and Peter.

So Remus did not write to Andromeda, he wrote to Minerva. He longed for the comfort that his old Professor always gave him. She’d been his first introduction to the wizarding world outside of Dumbledore, and she seemed to have a power over Remus that no one else had. She forcefully, without words, reminded him that he was here, that he was centered, and that he deserved to be a person. The only other loved one that had given Remus that strong, centered feeling had been Lily. The feeling of that friendship with both women radiated a sort of power for Remus, and he never stopped craving it. They hadn’t had to remind him with words like Sirius, James and Peter had to do, they gave him the recognition that he needed with knowing looks and warm smiles. Remus missed Lily Evans every single day.

But since there was no more Lily to turn to, Minerva had become even more of a rock for Remus over the years following the Potter’s deaths. So it was that Minerva McGonagall sat stiffly, like she might sit in a wooden chair, in one of the comfy chintz armchairs that sat in the Lupin’s living room, sipping a cup of tea, and nibbling every now and again on a biscuit.

“I won’t tell you what I think you should do, Remus, because I know you will not listen to me,” Minerva said sternly after Remus had told her everything with his job and asked for advice.

“Oh, yeah?” Remus smirked, sitting back in his seat, and grinning at his old Professor. “What makes you so sure?”

Minerva gave him a rare small smile.

“Because I have taught you, and I know you,” she answered simply. “You absorb fact like you were born to learn. However, when it comes to your social intelligence and life decisions, you listen to no one but yourself.”

Remus smiled slightly.

“So I will not waste my breath on the matter of the money, since you know my opinion on it either way,” Minerva said. Remus shifted uncomfortably in his seat, knowing Minerva was hinting at him not using the money Sirius had left him. “But,” the corner of her mouth gave a twitch, “I do understand the restlessness aspect of your situation. You want a job. You can’t sit here all day. I am the same.”

“Exactly what I was talking about-“ Remus started.

“No, it was not,” Minerva said. She gave him a real smile when he rolled his eyes. “Don’t lie to me, boy. As I said, I have taught you, and I know you.”

“Blah, blah, blah,” Remus mimicked.

“I want you to know you looked just like your daughter just then,” Minerva teased. Remus gave a warm laugh and Minerva smiled again. “But either way, what I was getting at, I understand not wanting to sit at home. And that is why I have a proposition for you.”

Remus cocked his head, curious.

“And that is?”

Minerva smiled.

“Come and work at Hogwarts,” she said simply. Remus’ eyes widened.

“Work at Hogwarts? How? And where?”

“Oh, we both know Lockhart won’t last till the end of this year. Those kids will eat him alive. And if he does, by some miracle, I’ll talk to Dumbledore and make sure he doesn’t come back next year. Especially if we have a _real_ Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher lined up,” Minerva said. Remus’ breath had been becoming shorter and shorter with her every word.

“Teach… Defense?” Remus spluttered. “Minerva… I’d love to, you have no idea how much I’d love to, but I can’t-“

“And why is that?” Minerva said. “Last time I checked the Shrieking Shack is still in good condition, and we have a skilled potions Professor on hand to make the Wolfsbane potion for the fulls.”

“The Wolfsbane potion?” Remus said, eyes wide.

“Yes, Remus, the potion you could easily buy but refuse to,” Minerva said with a raised eyebrow. Remus huffed exasperatedly.

“Now, _I_ couldn’t buy it-“ 

“Spare me,” Minerva interrupted. “I don’t need to hear that reasoning tonight. Back to what I was saying, you can transform like you used to in the Shack with the help of the potion. You can teach Defense for however long you like. I’m sure Hannah would be thrilled to have you near. I know I would like that very much as well.”

“You’ve given this a bit of thought, haven’t you?” Remus questioned.

“For a while, yes,” Minerva answered immediately, not ashamed in the slightest, “yes, I’ve wanted this for quite some time but you’ve always either not been up to it or have been in the middle of some lame Muggle job. So, what do you say? Professor Lupin? Isn’t that what James used to call you?”

Remus smiled very wide.

“Yes, he called me that all the time. Even got it stamped on a suitcase he bought me.”

He was silent after that. Minerva raised an eyebrow.

“Yes or no, Remus?” she said. “I can give you some time to think if you like-“

“No,” Remus said suddenly. “I mean… yes. I mean… no to the thinking. Yes to the job, no to the thinking.”

Minerva smiled.

“You’re going to be a teacher, Remus, I think you’d better say yes to the thinking,” she teased. Remus laughed happily and Minerva’s heart warmed. She hadn’t seen him this pleased about something since Hannah had gotten into Hogwarts.

“Oh, hush,” Remus said, smiling widely. “And thank you,” he said in a more serious tone. Minerva smiled.

“Always, Remus.”

That night after Minerva left, Remus had a hard time getting to sleep. But not for his usual reasons, like dwelling on the Potters or Sirius… but for the simple fact that he could not stop grinning into his pillow.

**

Since the disastrous episode with the pixies, Lockhart had not brought live creatures to class. Instead, he read passages from his books to them and sometimes reenacted some of the more dramatic bits. He usually picked Harry to help him with these reconstructions; so far, Harry had been forced to play a Transylvanian villager whom Lockhart had cured of a Babbling curse, a yeti with a head cold, and a vampire who had been unable to eat anything except lettuce since Lockhart had dealt with him.

Harry was hauled to the front of the class during their very next Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, this time acting a werewolf. If he hadn’t had a very good reason for keeping Lockhart in a good mood, he would have refused to do it. The look he’d gotten from Hannah when he rose out of his seat to walk up to his beckoning teacher had been downright scary, though he did not know exactly why he’d received it.

“Nice loud howl, Harry-“ Lockhart ordered. Harry gave a half-hearted ‘owwwww’ like he’d seen werewolves do on television. Ron laughed and Hannah snapped her quill in half. Hermione looked over at her friend’s angry expression in confusion.

“Exactly!” Lockhart said. “And then, if you’ll believe it-“

“I won’t,” Ron muttered.

“I pounced… like this!” Lockhart said before grabbing Harry by the shoulders and pushing him to the ground. Harry’s eyes grew wide and he made himself stiff as a board as Lockhart towered over him. “ _slammed_ him to the floor… thus… with one hand,” Lockhart placed a hand of Harry’s chest. Harry prayed to Merlin that Lockhart couldn’t feel how fast his heart was beating. “I managed to hold him down… with my other, I put my wand to his throat-“

“Yeah, _fucking_ right,” Hannah snarled. Hermione was still staring at her friend, trying to piece together why she was so angry at this particular demonstration.

“I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm… he let out a piteous moan… go on, Harry…”

Harry let out a small grunt. Hannah rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat.

“Higher than that… good… the fur vanished… the fangs shrank… and he turned back into a man. Simple, yet effective… and another village will remember me forever as the hero who delivered them from the monthly terror of werewolf attacks!”

Lockhart was standing now with his arms spread wide to the class like he was going to hug them all. Harry seized the opportunity to jump back to his feet and clear his throat, trying to make his voice sound deeper to regain dignity.

“What an idiot,” Hannah said. Ron shook his head in agreement.

The bell finally rang.

“Homework… compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf! Signed copies of _Magical Me_ to the author of the best one!”

The class began to leave. Harry returned to the back of the room, where Hannah, Ron, and Hermione were waiting, Hannah still looked grumpy but she gave a grunt when Harry approached them.

“Nice performance,” she teased.

“Bite me,” Harry replied.

“Oh, but you’re the were-“

“Don’t even finish that sentence,” Harry said to Ron. “You guys ready?”

“Wait till everyone’s gone,” Hermione said nervously. “All right…”

She approached Lockhart’s desk, a piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand, Hannah, Harry, and Ron right behind her.

“Er… Professor Lockhart?” Hermione stammered. “I wanted to… to get this book out of the library. Just for background reading.” She held out the piece of paper, her hand shaking slightly. “But the thing is, it’s in the Restricted Section of the library, so I need a teacher to sign for it… I’m sure it would help me understand what you say in _Gadding with Ghouls_ about slow-acting venoms-“

“Ah, _Gadding with Ghouls!”_ Lockhart said, taking the note from Hermione and smiling widely at her. “Possibly my very favorite book. You enjoyed it?”

“Oh, yes,” Hermione said eagerly. “So clever, the way you trapped that last one with the tea-strainer-“

“Well, I’m sure no one will mind me giving the best student of the year a little extra help,” Lockhart said warmly, and he pulled out an enormous peacock quill. “Yes, nice, isn’t it?” he said, misreading the revolted look on Ron’s face. “I usually save it for book-signings.”

He scrawled an enormous loopy signature on the note and handed it back to Hermione.

“So, you two,” Lockhart said to Hannah and Harry while Hermione folded the note with fumbling fingers and slipped it into her bag. “Tomorrow’s the first quidditch match of the season, I believe? Gryffindor against Slytherin, is it not? I hear you in particular, Harry, are a useful player. I was seeker, too. I was asked to try for the National Squad but preferred to dedicate my life to the eradication of the Dark Forces. Still, if you ever feel the need for a little private training, don’t hesitate to ask. Always happy to pass on my expertise to less able players…”

Harry made an indistinct noise in the back of his throat like Lockhart’s last words had caused him physical pain before he hurried off after Hannah, Ron, and Hermione.

“I don’t believe it,” he said as the four of them examined the signature on the note. “He didn’t even _look_ at the book we wanted.”

“That’s because he’s a brainless git,” Ron said.

“Good idea getting him to talk about himself, Moony,” Hannah said. “That’s the only area he understands.”

“He is not a brainless git and I’m sure he understands far more than just himself,” Hermione said shrilly as they half-ran toward the library.

“Just because he said you were the best student of the year-“ Ron started but quickly dropped his voice as they entered the muffled stillness of the library. Madam Pince stood at her usual desk.

 _“Moste Potente Potions?”_ she repeated suspiciously, trying to take the note from Hermione. But Hermione wouldn’t let go.

“I was wondering if I could keep it,” she said breathlessly.

“Oh, come on,” Ron said as he took it from her grasp and handed it to Madam Pince. “We’ll get you another autograph. Lockhart’ll sign anything if it stands still long enough.”

Madam Pince held the note up to the light, as though determined to detect a forgery, but it passed the test. She stalked away between the lofty shelves and returned several minutes later carrying a large and moldy-looking book. Hermione put it carefully into her bag and they left, trying not to walk too quickly or look too guilty.

Five minutes later, they were barricaded in Moaning Myrtle’s out-of-order bathroom once again. Hermione had overridden Ron’s objections by pointing out that it was the last place anyone would be, so they were guaranteed some privacy. Moaning Myrtle was crying noisily in the stall, but she was ignoring them, and Hannah had brought her record player to tune down low so they could still hear each other talk.

_‘Cry baby, cry baby, cry baby_

_Honey, welcome back home_

_I know she told you_

_Honey, I know she told you that she loved you_

_Much more than I did’_

Janis Joplin’s raspy voice filled the bathroom as Hermione opened _Moste Potente Potions_ carefully, and the four of them bent over the damp-spotted pages. It was clear from a glance why it belonged in the Restricted Section. Someone of the potions had effects almost too gruesome to think about, and there were some very unpleasant illustrations, which included a man who seemed to have been turned inside out and a witch sprouting several extra pairs of arms out of her head.

“Here it is,” Hermione said excitedly as she found the page headed _The Polyjuice Potion_. It was decorated with drawings of people halfway through transforming into other people. Hopefully the artist had imagined the looks of intense pain on their faces.

“This is the most complicated potion I’ve ever seen,” Hermione said as they scanned the recipe. “Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed, and knotgrass,” she murmured, running her finger down the list of ingredients. “Well, they’re easy enough, they’re in the student store-cupboard, we can help ourselves… oh, look, powdered horn of a bicorn… don’t know where we’re going to get that… shredded skin of a boomslang… that’ll be tricky, too… and of course a bit of whoever we want to change into.”

“I beg your pardon?” Hannah said sharply.

“What d’you mean, a bit of whoever we’re changing into?” Ron said. “I’m drinking nothing with Crabbe’s toenails in it-“

Hermione pretended she couldn’t hear him.

_‘But all I know is that she left you_

_And you swear that you just don't know why_

_But you know, honey I'll always_

_I'll always be around_

_If you ever want me’_

“We don’t have to worry about that yet, though, because we add those bits last…” Hermione muttered. Ron turned, speechless, to Harry and Hannah for help.

“D’you realize how much we’re going to have to steal, Moony?” Harry began. “Shredded skin of a boomslang, that’s definitely not in the students’ cupboard. What’re we going to do, break into Snape’s private stores?”

“Stealing’s no problem,” Hannah said. “We have the map and the cloak.”

“Still…” Harry said uncertainly. “I dunno if that’s a good idea…”

Hermione shut the book with a snap.

“Well, if you two are going to chicken out, fine,” she said. Her nostrils were flaring and her eyes were brighter than usual. “Hannah and I will do it ourselves. I don’t want to break the rules, you know. I think threatening Muggle-borns is far worse than brewing up a difficult potion. But if you don’t want to find out if it’s Malfoy, Hannah and I will make the potion and-“

“I never thought I’d see the day when you’d be persuading us to break rules,” Ron said. “All right, we’ll do it. But no toenails, okay?”

_‘Come on and cry, cry baby_

_Cry baby, cry baby_

_Oh honey, welcome back home’_

“How long will it take to make, anyway?” Harry asked as Hermione, looking happier, opened the book again.

“Well, since the fluxweed has got to be picked at the full moon and the lacewings have got to be stewed for twenty-one days… I’d say it’d be ready in about a month if we can get all the ingredients.”

“A month?” Ron said. “Malfoy could have attacked half the Muggle-borns in the school by then!” But Hermione’s eyes narrowed dangerously again, and he added swiftly, “But it’s the best plan we’ve got, so full steam ahead, I say.”

However, when Hermione was checking that the coast was clear for them to leave the bathroom and Ron and Harry were standing over by Hannah while she put up her record player, Ron muttered to both of them, “It’ll be a lot less hassle if one of you could just knock Malfoy off his broom tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Cry Baby by Janis Joplin


	23. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now - Year Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the Chamber of Secrets  
> *TW* broken bones

Hannah and Harry woke early Saturday morning and both laid for a while in their separate beds before getting out of bed and getting dressed. Hannah was absolutely terrified of the thought of her first-ever quidditch match, and even more scared at the realization that all of the Slytherins would have their own versions of her broom. Wood was expecting her to work hard and do most of the scoring while Angelina and Katie helped her with the plays and set-ups. She’d been frightened at first that the two girls would grow sour towards her since she was new and already being their main chaser, but they seemed to want to win just as much as Wood did. They both helped her with friendly smiles and absolutely no objections. So Hannah was scared but not too scared; she didn’t mind being the center of attention much. It was just the fact that this was her first-ever game, and there was a pretty good chance that they’d be losing. Her father’s insistence on coming to her first match and sitting in the teacher’s stands with Minerva did not help much either. She desperately wanted to impress everyone around her.

Harry’s nerves, however, differed a great deal from Hannah’s. Though it was not his first quidditch match, he was extremely nervous. This feeling came whenever he had to be around large groups of people or become the center of attention. He could work well under it, of course, if he mentally distanced himself from the many eyes watching him, but when he stepped out onto the field he’d always get an odd sensation like his throat was closing up. He’d feel scratchy on the inside and nervous; the feeling stayed with him until he was up in the air and he could clear his head. Harry loved quidditch. He absolutely adored everything about the sport and the connection it gave him to his parents. But he thought that he’d probably like it a whole lot more if it could be played without the giant crowds watching him.

Besides the differences in their levels of nervousness, the two friends shared one thing in common; they wanted to absolutely pulverize Slytherin. It was completely unfair that they’d all gotten new brooms and then proceeded to make fun of the other Gryffindor teammates for not being able to afford them. It angered them both equally, and their combined ambition to destroy Slytherin in the match just had to come in handy.

So after half an hour of them both laying in their separate dorms, they got up, showered, and dressed. Hannah’s hands trembled as she slipped on her temporary clothing. She went downstairs and found that Harry was not there yet, so she sat down in a chair and braided her wet hair back into two French braids absentmindedly.

A few minutes later, Harry came down the stairs dressed in his usual practice outfit; a Queen shirt he’d stolen from Hannah and a pair of grey joggers he’d gotten from Ron. He smiled when he saw her waiting for him and walked over to her chair. When she asked him what had taken him so long he lied and told her he’d just slept in. He did not want her to know he’d thrown up while getting dressed.

Together they walked down to the Great Hall for an early breakfast. They found the rest of the Gryffindor team huddled at the end of the long, empty table, all looking uptight and not speaking much. Hannah and Harry took their seats across from Fred and George and received weak smiles from both of them.

Hannah stared at the large spread of breakfast food and found her appetite was nowhere to be found. Harry smiled at his friend as he picked up a piece of toast, buttered it, took a bite out of it, and then handed it to Hannah, just like she’d done for him the previous year when he was nervous for his quidditch matches. Hannah smiled as she took the toast from him and they both passed it back and forth between each other, finishing it off in a matter of minutes. Neither of them knew, but that particular gesture would become a routine in their future years.

As eleven o’clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. Hannah and Harry stuck together like glue, shoulder to shoulder as they trenched down to the field with the rest of the team. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air, something that did not make either of them feel much better. Ron and Hermione came hurrying over to wish them both good luck as they entered the locker room. They received half-hearted smiles in return, and both exchanged a knowing look before turning and heading to the stands. Hermione waved at Remus when she saw him walking in-between Minerva and Snape. Snape did not look very happy about the arrangement, but Remus smiled back at Hermione and waved to her and Ron.

“I’ve never gotten the nerve to ask Padfoot,” Ron said as he and Hermione walked up to the staircase leading upwards to the stands and began to climb. “But did she ever tell you where he got those scars? The poor bloke looks torn up.”

Hermione frowned as a cold breeze swept through them and she wrapped her jacket closer around her skinny form.

“No, she’s never said anything about it,” she answered carefully. “I do wonder sometimes though…”

“Maybe its got something to do with… you know… Sirius,” Ron speculated. “And that’s why they don’t like to talk about it.”

“Could be,” Hermione said thoughtfully.

Back in the locker room, Harry and Hannah dressed in their scarlet quidditch robes in silence, fingers slipping on buttons as they fixed them up. Hannah’s robes had a bright gold number five stamped on the back, whereas Harry's had a gold number seven. They smiled at each other feebly when they finished and looked around at the sound of Wood beginning his usual pre-match pep talk.

“Slytherin has better brooms than us, with the exception of Hannah,” he began. “No point denying it. But we’ve got better people on our brooms. We’ve trained harder than they have, we’ve been flying in all weathers-“

“Too true,” George muttered. “I haven’t been properly dry since August,”

“-and we’re going to make them rue the day they let that little bit of slime, Malfoy, buy his way onto the team,” Wood finished.

“Hear, hear!” Hannah cheered. He flashed her a smiled before turning to Harry.

“It’ll be down to you, Harry, to show them that a seeker had to have something more than a rich father. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, Harry, because we’ve got to win today, we’ve got to.”

“So no pressure, Harry,” Fred said, winking at him.

As they walked out onto the pitch, a roar of noise greeted them. Mainly cheers, because Ravenclaws and Hufflepuff were anxious to see Slytherin beaten (the new brooms hadn’t gone over well in any of the other houses either), but the Slytherins in the crowd made their boos and hisses heard, too.

Harry’s stomach dropped in a familiar way and his throat began to close up. He had to close his eyes and take a deep breath to steady himself. Hannah did not notice. She was looking around the pitch in awe at all the people staring down at her. It felt quite like being in a large fish tank, except Hannah knew she could jump out of it if she wanted to. Differing majorly from Harry, the atmosphere of the place fueled her adrenaline and she beamed at all the people cheering for them.

Hannah looked up at the teachers' stands and caught a glimpse of her father’s tawny hair. She grinned and stuck her arm up at him, waving furiously and almost stopping completely to bounce up and down. George circled back to grab her by the arm and keep her walking with the rest of the team.

Up in the stands, Remus laughed and rolled his eyes at Hannah’s excessive greeting. Minerva chuckled happily beside him just as the Gryffindor team stopped in the middle of the field and turned to meet the Slytherins. Remus got a full view of Harry and Hannah’s uniforms and almost laughed. Hannah had James’ number, a bright gold five, while Harry had Sirius’, a shiny seven. It just seemed a little too ironic, and Remus let out a small breath in response. Minerva looked over at him and smiled, knowing what was passing through his mind.

Back on the pitch, Madam Hooch asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary.

“On my whistle,” Madam Hooch said. “Three… two… one…”

She blew hard on her bright silver whistle and with a roar from the crowd, the fourteen players rose high into the grey sky. Harry flew higher than any of them, squinting around for the snitch.

Remus grimaced at the roar of the crowd and resisted the urge to plug his ears as he watched his daughter bravely fly up to where Hooch had thrown the quaffle and grab it right out from under Adrian Pucey’s nose. His hearing had always been a problem during loud events.

“All right there, Scarhead?” Draco yelled at Harry as he shot around him like he was trying to show off the speed of his broom. Harry had no time to reply for at that very moment, a heavy black bludger came pelting toward him. He avoided it so narrowly that he felt it ruffle his hair as it passed.

“Close one, Harry!” George said as he sped past him with his club in his hand, ready to knock the bludger back toward a Slytherin. Harry saw George give the bludger a powerful whack in the direction of Pucey, but the bludger changed its path in midair and shot straight for Harry again. Harry dropped quickly to avoid it, and George managed to hit it hard toward Draco. Once again, the bludger swerved like a boomerang and shot at Harry’s head. Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other end of the pitch. He could hear the bludger whistling along behind him. What was going on? Bludgers never concentrated on one player like this; it was their job to try and unseat as many people as possible…

Meanwhile, Hannah was completely in her element. The Slytherin chaser’s brooms were far better than Hannah, Angelina, and Katie’s combined, but Wood had been right; they had better _people_ on their brooms. They flew around together, working as a team when they had the ball and using each other’s skills to bounce off one another when they didn’t. Slytherin scored first, to no one’s surprise, but soon Angelina knocked the quaffle out of Flint’s hands and he dropped it directly to Hannah, who had been hovering below him. Hannah secured the large scarlet ball in her arm and jetted towards her set goalposts. She could hear the combined cheers from Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff cheering her on and she grinned madly as she swung up to the posts, took aim, and scored.

It all happened in a matter of seconds, of course, but as Hannah circled back around with a smile stamped on her face she felt like she’d been playing for hours. Slytherin was back in possession and she smiled happily at Remus as she sped past the teacher’s stands and shot at Flint like a bullet. Remus laughed and clapped with everyone else. He could tell Hannah was having fun.

On the other side of the field where Harry was flying, Fred was waiting for the bludger. Harry ducked as Fred swung at the bludger with all his might and knocked it off course.

“Gotcha!” Fred yelled happily, but he was wrong. As though it was magnetically attracted to Harry, the bludger pelted after him once more and Harry was forced to fly off at full speed.

Hannah had absolutely no clue what was happening to Harry. It had started to rain, and she was locked in between Flint and Montague, trying to keep the quaffle away from both of them. She saw Katie fly underneath her and she dropped it; Katie caught it and before the two Slytherins surrounding Hannah could double back, she sped towards the goalposts. Pucey dived in front of her but George hit the bludger that was flying after Harry at him and he was forced to swerve to avoid it. Katie lined up with the goalposts, feinted the keeper, and…

“GRYFFINDOR SCORES!” Lee Jordan’s faint voice echoed through the rainy stadium. “That means Slytherins still lead, sixty points to twenty.”

The Slytherins’ superior brooms were putting them ahead of Gryffindor, but at least the Gryffindors had scored something, Harry thought absentmindedly as the bludger continued to chase after him. Fred and George were now flying so close to him on either side that Harry could see nothing at all except their flailing arms. He wanted to catch the snitch and end the game but he had absolutely no chance to even look for it with the twins on him like they were.

“Someone’s… tampered… with… this… bludger…” Fred grunted as he swung his bat with all his might at it in response to the new attacks it was trying on Harry.

“We need a time out,” George said, trying to signal to Wood and stop the bludger from breaking Harry’s nose at the same time. Wood got the message. Madam Hooch’s whistle rang out across the stadium and Harry, Fred, and George dived for the ground, still trying to avoid the mad bludger.

“What’s going on?” Wood said as the Gryffindor team huddled together, while the Slytherins in the crowd jeered. “We’re being flattened. Fred, George, where were you when that bludger stopped Angelina scoring?”

“We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other bludger from murdering Harry, Oliver,” George said angrily. “Someone’s fixed it… it won’t leave Harry alone. It hasn’t gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it.”

“Fixed a bludger?” Hannah said, looking around at Harry, confused. He blushed. Hannah was out of breath, with wetness from the rain flattening her braids down to her head and the exercise combined with the cold leaving red patches on her face. She looked very pretty. The broom in her hand didn’t help. “A bludger’s trying to kill you, Harry?”

Harry just nodded, forcing himself to stare down at the grass below him.

“But the bludgers have been locked in Madam Hooch’s office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then…” Wood said anxiously. Madam Hooch was walking toward them. Over her shoulder, they could see the Slytherin team jeering and pointing in their direction. Hannah and Fred flipped them off at the same time.

“Listen,” Harry said as Madam Hooch came nearer and nearer, “with you two flying around me all the time the only way I’m going to catch the snitch is if it flies up my sleeve. Go back to the rest of the team and let me deal with the rouge one.”

“Don’t be thick,” Fred said. “It’ll take your head off.”

Wood was looking back and forth between Harry and the twins.

“Harry, you don’t have to do this,” Hannah said. “We can ask for an inquiry-“

“If we stop now, we’ll have to forfeit the match!” Harry said. “And we’re not losing to Slytherin just because of a crazy bludger! Come on, Oliver, tell them to leave me alone!”

“This is all your fault,” George said angrily to Wood. “’Get the snitch or die trying’, what a stupid thing to tell him-“

Madam Hooch had joined them.

“I saw you two from back there, and If you make those rude gestures again, I’ll glue your fingers together,” she said first to Hannah and Fred before during to Wood and saying, “Ready to resume play?”

Wood looked at the determined look on Harry’s face.

“All right,” he said. Fred and George groaned and threw their hands up. “You heard Harry… you two leave him alone and let him deal with the bludger on his own.”

Fred and George squared their jaws and ignored him as the two teams lined up to kick off into the sky once more. Hannah ran over to where Harry was standing as they mounted their brooms.

“I know you want to win, Prongs,” she said as she stuck her own Nimbus between her legs and gripped the handle, “but be careful.”

Harry had no time to do anything but nod as Madam Hooch’s whistle had blown and he was forced to shoot back up into the sky with the rest of his teammates. Hannah separated from him immediately, zooming over to Angelina so she could fly underneath her to catch the quaffle when needed. Harry spun off in the opposite direction. The rain was falling more heavily now and droplets stuck to Harry’s glasses as he climbed higher and higher. He looped and swooped, spiraled, zigzagged, and rolled. Slightly dizzy, he kept his eyes wide open to try and see through the water on his glasses. He could hear laughter from the crowd and knew he must look very stupid, but the rouge bludger was heavy and couldn’t change direction as quickly as Harry could.

“That bludger’s been tampered with,” Remus said to Minerva as they watched Harry begin a kind of roller-coaster ride around the edges of the stadium. “I’ve never seen one follow an individual player that closely.”

“That’s impossible,” Minerva replied, but she too was watching Harry with wide eyes full of concern. “It’s been locked up since the Gryffindor’s last practice.”

“Minerva, with everything that’s been going on here, do you really think it's impossible for someone to have messed with it?” Remus hissed. Minerva stayed quiet and Remus found himself sitting on the edge of his seat like he might leap out of the stands and into the air if Harry was hurt as he watched the boy swerve out of the bludger’s way once again.

“Training for the ballet, Potter?” Draco yelled as Harry was forced to do a stupid kind of twirl in midair to dodge the bludger. Harry sped off in the opposite direction, the bludger training a few feet behind him, before turning back to glare at Draco in hatred. But then… he saw it. The Golden Snitch. It was hovering inches above Draco’s left ear. Draco, busy laughing at Harry, hadn’t seen it.

For an agonizing moment, Harry hung in midair, not daring to speed toward Draco in case he looked up and saw the snitch.

“Why isn’t he moving?” Remus said in the stands as he and Minerva shot up out of their seats. “It’s coming right at him, he’s not moving!”

Minerva drew her wand and pointed it at the bludger but it was too late…

WHAM!

Harry had stayed still a second too long. The bludger had hit him at last, smashed into his elbow, and caused it to break. There was a collective moan from the crowd and Hannah looked over in time to see Harry slump on his broom with one knee crooked over it to keep him on and his right arm dangling limply at his side. He was forced to swerve out of the way once again as the bludger sped toward his face. Hannah’s eyes widened and she dropped the quaffle she was holding to speed over to her friend.

But Harry had other plans. Locked firmly in his brain the second he’d swerved from the bludger, was one coherent thought: _get to Draco._

Through a haze of rain and pain, he dived for the shimmering, scared-looking face below him and saw its eyes widen even further with fear: Draco thought Harry was attacking him.

“What the-“ he gasped, diving out of Harry’s way as Harry took his remaining hand off his broom and made a wild snatch. He felt his fingers close on the cold snitch but was now only gripping the broom with his legs, and there was a yell from the crowd below as he headed straight for the ground, trying hard not to pass out.

Hannah was at his side in an instant, grabbing his broom with one hand and pulling it toward her. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Fred and George pelt toward the bludger that would’ve taken down both him and Hannah and grabbing it together to push it down to the ground. Harry laid out on the front of Hannah’s broom and smiled up at her. Hannah’s face was a light shade of green and she was obviously trying very hard not to look at his arm as she lowered them both to the ground.

“Aha,” Harry said vaguely as he held up the snitch still clutched in his good hand and tried to focus on it. “We’ve won.”

And he fainted, leaving Hannah to touch down on the ground and steady their brooms to lower him slowly into the mud, taking care not to touch his arm. She looked up and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Minerva and Remus running full speed at her. They were followed by what looked like a few more teachers and a couple of concerned Gryffindors. The rest of the team landed around Hannah with a thump.

“He’s fainted,” Hannah informed Wood as he looked over her shoulder with worry for his seeker. “But he’s gotten the snitch.” She took it from his hand and handed it to Wood. “Here.”

Remus and Minerva had arrived. Hannah looked up at them from her position crouched around Harry’s body and her face visibly relaxed.

“Dad, dad, his arm is broken,” Hannah said and she moved out of the way as Remus and Minerva crowded around Harry. Remus reached out at Harry’s arm and touched it cautiously.

“Not a clean break,” he said immediately. No one asked how he knew.

“Ah, I’ve dealt with plenty of those in my days!” Lockhart said from behind them. Hannah whipped her head around and gave him a death stare. “Just move aside and I’ll take care of it!” he said as he pulled out his wand. Minerva and Remus ignored him.

Hermione and Ron showed up and crouched next to Hannah, gasping when she informed them that his arm was broken.

Remus conjured up a cot to place Harry on, after deciding they should just let Madam Pomfrey fix his arm. He’d dealt with plenty of broken bones in the aftermaths of his transformations but they’d only been on himself, and he didn’t want to cause any permanent damage. As Minerva and Remus lifted Harry with their wands, he gave a groan and his eyes flickered open. Hannah, Ron, and Hermione were at his side immediately.

“Are you okay?”

“Your arm is broken.”

“You won!”

“Harry, did you hear me, your arm is broken!”

“You caught the snitch, well done, mate!”

Remus stuck his arm out and pushed the three friends back.

“Don’t crowd, come on, give him some space,” he ordered. Hannah, Hermione, and Ron stepped back a few paces, all looking rather abashed.

“Hi, Mr. Remus,” Harry said faintly.

“Hello, Harry,” Remus smiled, “We’re going to take you to the hospital wing, is that alright?”

“Sounds great,” Harry said as a familiar clicking noise reached his ears. “I don’t want a photo of this, Colin,” he added loudly. Hannah whipped around and grabbed Colin’s camera, taking it off his face and stuffing it into his pocket.

Remus and Minerva each grabbed one side of the floating cot and began to lead it toward the school. Hannah, Ron, and Hermione all followed behind them closely, and, unfortunately, so did Lockhart.

“I tell you, Lupin, I can fix it right here, the boy won’t even need to go to the hospital wing!” Lockhart said cheerily as he bounced along behind them. Remus gritted his teeth.

“I think it’ll be a lot safer this way, Lockhart,” Remus said patiently. “Minerva and I haven’t even tried to fix it. We’re leaving it to Poppy.”

“Yes, well, I’m quite sure you two haven’t dealt with nearly enough injuries as I have,” Lockhart said. “Why, I remember once in Tibet-“

“Gilderoy,” Minerva said without turning around. “Why don’t you make yourself useful and go help the Weasley twins get that bludger back in the crate? Maybe you can _discover_ what caused it to act the way it did while you’re at it.”

“Of course!” Lockhart said. “Why, I do have a few ideas of what could’ve done it already!”

And he turned around and headed toward the twins, who had just gotten the bludger back in the crate and did not look happy about his approaching figure.

Remus and Minerva continued their walk up to the castle in silence, feet squelching in the mixed mud and grass, with Hannah, Ron, and Hermione bunched up behind them and following. They made it into the school and headed toward the hospital wing, ignoring the amount of mud they were leaving behind them. After a few more minutes, Minerva opened the double doors with her wand and they took Harry inside, Hermione running to Madam Pomfrey’s office to fetch her as Remus and Minerva took Harry off the cot and placed him on a bed.

Seconds later, Pomfrey came bustling out.

“Miss Granger tells me the boy has a broken arm?” she asked and when Minerva confirmed this she snorted. “From one of those _bludgers_ , I presume _._ I keep telling Albus quidditch is too rough of a sport for these children, but does he listen to me-“

As she ranted she moved around Harry, examining his arm. She finally pulled out her wand and muttered something under her breath, causing Harry’s arm to first feel very hot and then very cold. He reached his good hand out to touch it but she smacked it away.

“It’s mended,” she said. “Try to move it.”

Harry turned his hand around and tried to lift his forearm. He winced; it still hurt quite a lot.

“Yes, it wasn’t a clean break,” Pomfrey said. “I’ll put it in a sling and you’ll sleep here tonight. It should feel better by morning. Why don’t you get out of those disgusting robes, love? I’ll get you a clean pair of pajamas.”

Harry nodded and Pomfrey turned to walk back to her office. Her eyes fell on Remus, who was sitting on the bed next to Harry with Hannah and Ron next to him, smiling up at Pomfrey who gave a cry of delight at the sight of him.

“Oh, my boy!” she cried as she bent down and embraced him in a hug. Remus chuckled and patted her back and she pulled away, grabbed his face in both her hands and beamed at him. “Oh, I’ve missed you! Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You seemed a bit preoccupied,” Remus laughed.

“Bah,” Pomfrey replied as she looked over his face. _“Cariad_ , what have you been up to?” she complained as she traced her finger over the scars on his face. “I keep telling Minerva you need to come back here, look at these! Wouldn’t happen if you were safe in one of these beds after!”

“Poppy,” Remus’ voice was filled with a warning and Pomfrey sighed as she remembered the students around her. She kissed Remus on the forehead and then pulled away, walking to her office to get the pajamas she’d promised Harry.

“You two know each other?” Ron smirked and Remus smiled at him.

“I spent a fair amount of time in the hospital wing when I was here,” he answered. There was a cutting edge to the sentence that made it clear he would not be giving any more information. Hannah looked up and saw Hermione staring at Remus with a frown on her face. She could practically hear the gears in her head turning.

Hannah cleared her throat and sat up to look at Harry.

“So, we won! Thanks to you!” she grinned and tried not to look too relieved when Hermione broke her thought off to look at Harry too.

“That was some catch you made,” Ron said, his face breaking out into a grin. “Malfoy’s face… he looked ready to kill…”

“I want to know how he…” Hermione broke off, looking back and forth between Remus and Minerva. “Er… I mean… what happened to that bludger.”

“Yes, that’s the question,” Minerva said. “I’ll have to meet with Rolanda and take a look at it.”

Pomfrey came back in with a pair of white pajamas for Harry. She drew the curtains around him and let Remus help him slip them on. Harry smiled awkwardly at Remus as he fixed the sling around his button-up top. He could not help but feel like Remus had done it several times before.

When Harry was dressed, they fixed the curtains back and he laid out in his bed. At that very moment, the doors of the hospital wing burst open. Filthy and soaking wet, the rest of the Gryffindor team had arrived to see Harry, along with a small girl clad in Gryffindor colors.

“Hello, Harry,” Luna said happily. “I came to see if you wanted to eat some Gurdyroot powder to help with your arm. It’s very beneficial.” 

“Er…” Harry looked at the dark green powder Luna held in her bare hands. “I think I’m fine, Luna. Madam Pomfrey already mended it.”

“Very well,” Luna said, completely unphased as she put the powder in her pocket. Wood waited a total of a millisecond after Harry and Luna’s interaction to talk about quidditch.

“Great capture, Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I’d say-“ Wood said with a huge grin on his face.

“Unbelievable flying, mate,” George said. “I’ve just seen Marcus Flint yelling at Malfoy. Something about having the snitch on top of his head and not noticing. Malfoy didn’t seem very happy.”

They had brought cakes, sweets, and bottles of pumpkin juice and went to crowd around Harry’s bed when Minerva stood. Fred and George’s faces fell in unison.

“Absolutely not,” she ordered. “You will celebrate in the Gryffindor common room and you will be quiet about it.”

They could’ve left quietly, but at that very moment, Madam Pomfrey came storming out of her office where she’d been getting Harry a glass of water, shouting, “This boy needs rest, his bones are growing back together as we speak! Out! OUT!”

And the team left, mumbling grumpily as they went. It was clear Pomfrey wanted Hannah, Ron, Hermione, and Luna out too when she continued to stand and stare at them.

“We’ll get out of your way, Poppy,” Remus said with a smile as he stood and beckoned his daughter and her friends to join them. He said goodbye to Harry and gave Pomfrey a quick hug and a smile before walking to the door with Minerva. Hannah doubled back to run over to Harry’s bed before they left. She sat down next to him and smiled.

“You made a really good catch, you know,” she said with a grin. Harry’s face grew very hot for some reason as she reached her hand up and brushed the hair out of his face. “Sorry I can’t stay, Prongs.”

 _“What_ _did you say?”_ Madam Pomfrey said. Hannah spun around to stare at her with wide eyes. She hadn’t known she was right behind them.

“N-nothing,” Hannah answered convincingly. Pomfrey’s eyes narrowed.

“What did you call him… just now?” Pomfrey said.

“I didn’t call him anything,” Hannah said nervously. “I just said I was sorry I couldn’t stay.”

Remus stuck his head around the door.

“Puppy, come on, leave them alone,” he said and Hannah jumped up immediately to run out. Madam Pomfrey kept her eyes narrowed at the girl as she walked out and shut the door behind her, but she said nothing to Harry.

Out in the hallway, Luna was introducing herself to Remus. He smiled at her happily, remembering what Hannah had said about her in her letter.

“…and I’m in Ravenclaw but I do see Hannah quite a lot, always says hello in the hallway, I do like her very much-“

“Thanks, Luna,” Hannah said with a smile as she approached them.

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Remus said. “And nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, sir,” Luna replied. “And about your scars, mint leaves, and crushed frog eyes. It helped when I cut my hand one time.”

Remus forced a smile.

“Thank you… I’ll try that out,” he said.

“Oh, you must not like to talk about that. Forget I said anything!” Luna said happily before turning to look around at Hannah, Ron, and Hermione. “Well, I’d better go! Ravenclaw will be celebrating a Gryffindor win too so Cho and I are going to stay up in her dorm. She’s letting me teach her about nargles!”

And she turned around and walked off, waving when they said goodbye.

“She seems very sweet,” Remus said.

“Yeah, she’s awesome,” Ron said. “Little strange, but she’s cool.”

“So,” Remus said casually as he stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. “I want to see it.”

“See what?” Hannah said.

“The writing on the wall you told me about,” he answered. “I want to see it.”

“Do you know anything about the Chamber?” Ron said excitedly.

“A fair bit,” Remus answered. “I read a lot about it in my first year… saw it mentioned in _Hogwarts A History_ but it didn’t go into detail and I didn’t have much else to do.”

“Well, let’s take him to it,” Hermione said. “We can show him the spiders.”

“Spiders?” Remus asked as they started to walk.

“Yes,” Hermione answered. “They were there last time we had a look. They were acting so odd… all following each other in a line out to get out. I’d never seen them act like that before.”

“Strange,” Remus said. They turned a few corners until they reached the corridor where it had happened. Remus walked over to the writing and touched it.

“And it won’t come off?” he asked.

“No,” Hannah answered. “Filch tried to scrub it like a thousand times.”

“I don’t see the spiders,” Hermione said. “They must have all left.”

“What a shame,” Ron said under his breath.

“Well…” Remus started. “I can’t really be sure what could’ve caused it to stay like this. It looks like blood… but that doesn’t make sense. It would’ve come off.”

Hannah, Ron, and Hermione all turned to watch what Remus was doing.

“So what exactly do you know about the Chamber?” Ron asked. Remus looked over and smiled at them.

“The basics,” he answered. “That it was rumored to be a myth but many educated witches and wizards still believe it to be true. It was created by Salazar Slytherin… rumored to hold a monster… also rumored to have been opened before-“

“What?” Hannah said. “Opened before?”

“Didn’t anyone know that?” Remus said, looking around at them. “Yes… many think it was opened in the 1940s. There were a series of attacks recorded in Hogwarts around that time. Lots of people thought it was the monster from the Chamber and they almost closed the school because a student was killed.”

 _“Killed?”_ Hermione said, voice full of worry. Remus looked over at her in concern.

“Yes, but the culprit was found and expelled. The book I read didn’t give a name because the student didn’t know they were causing the damage,” he said without taking his eyes off Hermione. She still looked very worried.

“How did they not know they were causing the attacks?” Ron snorted. Remus shrugged and looked back up at the wall.

“They tried to save an acromantula, or a giant spider,” he informed. Ron winced. “The spider escaped and supposedly caused the attacks.”

“Supposedly?” Hannah said. Remus smiled absentmindedly. He was having fun remembering one of his fixations from school. He’d spent hours in the library his first year, reading up on the Chamber and finding everything he could about the monster within. At the time, he’d thought that he could maybe go and beat the monster to keep it from ever returning. In his childish mind, it had seemed like a great idea. Prove that not all werewolves were bad… and that he could be a hero. It had never happened, of course. He’d gotten closer with the boys in his dorm and had dropped the subject completely.

“Well… the attacks on the school were similar to the attacks now. Petrification, like you said with Mrs. Norris. But that’s not really how acromantulas attack. They eat their prey-“

Ron whimpered slightly.

“-and don’t have the ability to petrify. But the attacks stopped after the acromantula was caught and they dropped it,” Remus said. “It just never made much sense to me.”

The others watched him as he continued to look at the writing on the wall. Hannah cleared her throat and stepped forward.

“So do you think the monster wrote this on the wall?” she asked. Remus laughed.

“No, I think that would be difficult for it to do,” he said with a smirk.

“Why’s that?” Hermione asked. She was enjoying learning something from Remus, especially since it was something she was so interested in.

“Well, I always assumed the monster inside was a snake,” Remus replied. “You know, because of Salazar being a parslemouth. So he could’ve controlled it.”

“That makes so much sense,” Ron said with wide eyes.

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Hermione mumbled.

“So the monster inside is a snake?” Hannah said.

“That’s just my theory,” Remus replied. “I could be wrong. And I never really got to looking for a snake that fit the description.”

“Why?” Hannah asked.

“Got distracted,” Remus answered simply. “James and I got closer and he had plans that differed from mine. I didn’t care what we did as long as we were friends.”

Hannah smiled at her dad and forcefully ignored the name he’d left out as Remus turned to look back at Hermione. She was still unusually silent.

“Hermione?” he asked cautiously. She looked up and smiled at him. “How are you doing with all of this?”

Hermione’s smile flickered a bit.

“Oh… I’m fine, I suppose,” she answered. “It’s just a bit odd. I thought I’d be like everyone else if I came here but now there’s just another thing that’s separating us.”

“You are like everyone else,” Hannah said sharply.

“But I imagine it doesn’t feel that way right now, does it?” Remus said. Hermione’s eyes watered up as she nodded. Remus sighed. “Well, I can tell you Hannah is right. You are just like everyone else… on second thoughts, better, actually.”

Hermione gave a small snort and Ron patted her awkwardly on the back, muttering something that sounded like ‘he’s right’.

“But I understand why it feels that way,” Remus continued. “Just know, Harry writes to me quite frequently. You’re free to tell me anything that goes on. And if I catch wind of the Malfoy boy using that word to you again, I’ll go to the board with it.” 

Hermione smiled at him.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. Remus smiled warmly at her. A couple of Hufflepuffs walked down the corridor where they were and broke up their conversation. Remus checked his watch as they passed.

“Well, looks like you guys have just about missed lunch,” he said. “Maybe if you run you could grab a sandwich or two.”

As if on cue, Ron’s stomach grumbled. The others laughed and said their goodbyes to Remus, who would be going back home. He pulled Hannah aside before she could follow Ron and Hermione, telling them he just needed a second.

“So,” Remus said as Ron and Hermione walked toward the Great Hall. “You did amazing today.”

“Thanks,” Hannah replied. “But we wouldn’t have won without Harry catching the snitch.”

“Well, I think you can argue every quidditch game wouldn’t have been won without a seeker,” Remus smirked. “But you still scoring while the entirety of the other team had better brooms was very impressive.”

“True,” Hannah said smugly. “I guess I’m just amazing.”

“Yes, you are,” Remus smiled. “Just one more thing though…” his voice dropped to a whisper.

“What’s up?”

“I did the math for this year's Christmas and my transformation is going to be on Christmas day,” he said sadly. Hannah’s face fell. “Now, don’t worry, we have Minerva. You’ll just have to come a few days after Christmas and we’ll celebrate late.”

“That sucks,” Hannah said.

“Yes, it does,” Remus replied. “But she’ll make special arrangements for you. And I was thinking… since we’re already making arrangements… would you like to invite your friends to Christmas this year?”

“Really?” Hannah said.

“Yes, I was thinking since you’ll already be coming late they could just tag along. You know; if they want to come.”

“I’m sure they will!” Hannah said. “I can ask Ron and Hermione now and I’ll ask Harry first thing tomorrow!”

“Make sure it sounds like you’re just inviting them to a regular Christmas,” Remus said. “I’ll have to ‘fall ill’ around that time so you can come late.”

“Okay,” Hannah said cheerfully.

“Well, I’m going to go home, puppy,” Remus said as he pulled Hannah into a hug. “You go get some food,” he pulled away and smiled at her. “You were incredible today… I’m very proud of you.”

“Thanks, dad,” Hannah said, her chest swelling with happiness. Remus patted her on the head and walked to Minerva’s office, where he’d be using floo powder to get home.

**

Hours and hours later, Harry woke quite suddenly in the pitch of blackness. He shifted uncomfortably in his bed: his arm was throbbing dully. For a second, he thought that was what had woken him. Then, with a thrill of horror, he realized that someone was sponging his forehead in the dark.

“Get off!” he said loudly, and then, “Dobby!”

The small house-elf that had shown up in the Dursley’s home months previous was standing on Harry’s bed, staring at him with his large eyes. A single tear was running down his long, pointed nose.

“Harry Potter came back to school,” he whispered miserably. “Dobby warned and warned Harry Potter. Ah sir, why didn’t you heed Dobby? Why didn’t Harry Potter go back home when he missed the train?”

Harry heaved himself up on his pillows and pushed Dobby’s sponge away.

“What are you doing here?” he said. “And how did you know I missed the train?”

Dobby’s lip trembled and Harry was seized by a sudden suspicion.

“It was you!” he said slowly. “You stopped the barrier from letting us through!”

“Indeed yes, sir,” Dobby said, nodding his head vigorously. “Dobby hid and watched for Harry Potter and sealed the gateway and Dobby had to iron his hands afterward,” he showed Harry ten long, bandaged fingers, “but Dobby didn’t care, sir, for he thought Harry Potter was safe, and never did Dobby dream that Harry Potter would get to school another way!”

He was rocking backward and forward, shaking his large head.

“Dobby was so shocked when he heard Harry Potter was back at Hogwarts, he let his master’s dinner burn! Such a flogging Dobby never had, sir…”

Harry slumped back onto his pillows.

“You nearly got Ron and I expelled,” he said fiercely. “You’d better get lost before my arm heals, Dobby, or I might strangle you.”

It was an empty threat, both of them knew, but Dobby still smiled weakly.

“Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times a day at home.”

He blew his nose on a corner of the filthy pillowcase he wore, looking so sad that Harry felt his anger ebb away in spite of himself.

“Why do you wear that thing, Dobby?” he asked curiously.

“This, sir?” Dobby said, plucking at the pillowcase. Harry nodded. “’Tis a mark of the house-elf’s enslavement, sir. Dobby can only be freed if his masters present him with clothes, sir. The family is careful not to pass Dobby even a sock, sir, for then he would be free to leave their house forever.”

Dobby mopped his large eyes before saying suddenly, “Harry Potter must go home! Dobby thought his bludger would be enough to make-“

“Your bludger?” Harry said, anger rising once more. “What d’you mean, your bludger? You made that bludger try and kill me?”

“Not kill you, sir, never kill you!” Dobby said, shocked. “Dobby wants to save Harry Potter’s life! Better sent home, grievously injured, than remain here sir! Dobby only wanted Harry Potter hurt enough to be sent home!”

“Oh, is that all?” Harry said angrily. “I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me why you wanted me sent home in pieces?”

“Ah, if Harry Potter only knew!” Dobby groaned, more tears dripping onto his ragged pillowcase. “If he knew what he means to us house-elfs! Dobby remembers how it was when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was at the height of his powers, sir! We house-elfs were treated like vermin, sir! Of course, Dobby is still treated like that, sir,” he admitted, drying his face on the pillowcase. “But mostly, sir, life has improved for my kind since you triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Harry Potter survived, and the Dark Lord’s power was broken, and it was a new dawn, sir, and Harry Potter shone like a beacon of hope for those of us who thought the dark days would never end, sir… and now, at Hogwarts, terrible things are to happen, are perhaps happening already, and Dobby cannot let Harry Potter stay here now that history is to repeat itself, now that the Chamber of Secrets is open once more-“

Dobby froze, horrorstruck, then grabbed Harry’s water jug from his bedside table and cracked himself over the head with it, toppling out of sight. A second later, he crawled back onto the bed, cross-eyed, muttering, “Bad, Dobby, very bad Dobby…”

“So there is a Chamber of Secrets?” Harry whispered. “And… did you say it’s been opened before? Tell me, Dobby!”

He seized the house-elfs bony wrist as Dobby’s hand inched toward the water jug. “But I’m not Muggle-born… how can I be in danger from the Chamber?”

“AH, sir, ask no more of poor Dobby,” the elf stammered, his huge eyes glowing. “Dark deeds are planned in this place, but Harry Potter must not be here when they happen… go home, Harry Potter, go home. Harry Potter must not meddle in this, sir, ‘tis too dangerous-“

“Who is it, Dobby?” Harry said, keeping a firm hold on Dobby’s wrist to stop him from hitting himself with the water jug again. “Who’s opened it? Who opened it last time?”

“Dobby can’t, sir, Dobby can’t, Dobby mustn’t tell! Go home, Harry Potter, go home!”

“I’m not going anywhere!” Harry said fiercely. “One of my best friends is Muggle-born; she’ll be first in line if the Chamber really has been opened-“

“Harry Potter risks his own life for his friends!” Dobby moaned miserably. “So noble! So valiant! But he must save himself, he must, Harry Potter must not-“

Dobby froze suddenly, his large ears perking up. Harry heard it too. There were footsteps coming down the passageway outside.

“Dobby must go!” the elf said breathlessly. There was a loud crack, and Harry’s fist was suddenly clenched on thin air. He slumped back into his bed, his eyes on the dark doorway to the hospital wing as the footsteps drew nearer.

The next moment, Dumbledore was backing into the dormitory, wearing a long woolly dressing gown and a nightcap. He was carrying one end of what looked like a statue. Professor McGonagall appeared a second later, carrying its feet. Together, they heaved it onto a bed.

“Get Madam Pomfrey,” Dumbledore whispered, and Professor McGonagall hurried past the end of Harry’s bed and out of sight. Harry lay quite still, pretending to be asleep. He heard urgent voices, and then Professor McGonagall swept back into view, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey, who was pulling a cardigan over her nightdress. He heard a sharp intake of breath.

“What happened?” Madam Pomfrey whispered as she bent over the statue on the bed. 

“Another attack,” Dumbledore said. “Minerva found him on the stairs.”

“There was a bunch of grapes next to him,” Professor McGonagall said. “We think he was trying to sneak up here and visit Potter.”

Harry’s stomach gave a horrible lurch. Hoping against hope it wasn’t who he thought it was, he raised himself a few inches so he could look at the statue on the bed. A ray of moonlight lay across its scared face, and Harry’s thoughts were confirmed.

It was Colin Creevy. His eyes were wide and his hands were stuck up in front of him, holding his camera.

“Petrified?” Madam Pomfrey whispered.

“Yes,” Professor McGonagall said. “But I shudder to think… if Albus hadn’t been on the way downstairs for hot chocolate… who knows what might have-“

The three of them stared down at Colin. Then Dumbledore leaned forward and wrenched the camera out of Colin’s rigid grip.

“You don’t think he managed to get a picture of his attacker?” Professor McGonagall said eagerly. Dumbledore didn’t answer. He opened the back of the camera.

“Good gracious!” Madam Pomfrey exclaimed. A jet of steam had hissed out of the camera. Harry, three beds away, caught the acrid smell of burnt plastic.

“Melted,” Madam Pomfrey said wonderingly. “All melted…”

“What does this mean, Albus?” Professor McGonagall asked.

“It means,” Dumbledore said, “that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again.”

Madam Pomfrey clapped a hand to her mouth. Professor McGonagall just stared at Dumbledore.

“But… Albus… surely… who?”

The question is not who,” Dumbledore said, his eyes on Colin. “The question is how…”

From what Harry could see of Professor McGonagall’s shadowed face, she didn’t understand this any better than he did. They left a few minutes later after more urgent whispers. Harry heard the sound of Madam Pomfrey closing the curtains around Colin’s body before the double doors swung open and Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore left. It took Harry a very long time to fall asleep after that.

**

Harry woke up on Sunday morning to find the dormitory blazing with winter sunlight and his arm perfectly normal. He sat up quickly and looked over at Colin’s bed, but the same curtains from the night before were still blocking him from view. Seeing that he was awake, Madam Pomfrey came bustling over with a breakfast tray and then began bending and stretching his arm and fingers.

“All in order,” she said as she let him go back to eating porridge. “When you’ve finished eating, you may leave.”

Harry dressed as quickly as he could and hurried off to Gryffindor Tower, desperate to tell Ron, Hermione, and Hannah about Colin and Dobby, but they weren’t there. Harry left to look for them, wondering where they could have got to and feeling slightly hurt that they weren’t interested in whether his arm was back to normal or not. He was about to go check their spot outside, sadness filling him up at even the thought of them going there without him when he walked past the library at the same time Percy strolled out of it.

“Oh, hello, Harry,” he said. “Excellent flying yesterday, really excellent. Gryffindor has just taken the lead for the House Cup… you earned fifty points!”

“Yeah, that’s great, Percy,” Harry said awkwardly. “Er… you haven’t seen Hannah, Ron, or Hermione, have you?”

“No, I haven’t,” Percy said, his smile fading. “I hope Ron’s not in another girl’s toilet…”

Harry forced a laugh, watched Percy walk out of sight, and then headed straight for Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. He couldn’t see why Ron, Hannah, and Hermione would be in there again, but after making sure that neither Filch nor any prefects were around, he opened the door and heard music echoing around the bathroom. Hannah had brought her record-player.

_‘I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour_

_But heaven knows I'm miserable now_

_I was looking for a job, and then I found a job_

_And heaven knows I'm miserable now’_

Harry stepped inside and closed the door behind him. The record-player was set up at the foot of a locked stall.

“It’s me,” he said as he walked further into the room. There was a gasp, a clunk, and a splash from within the stall and he saw Hermione’s eye peering through the keyhole.

“Prongs!” she said. “You gave us such a fright… come in… how’s your arm?”

“Fine,” Harry said, squeezing into the stall. An old cauldron was perch on the toilet, and crackling from underneath the rim told Harry that they had lit a fire beneath it. Conjuring up portable, waterproof fires was a specialty of Hermione’s.

_‘Why do I give valuable time_

_To people who don't care if I live or die?_

_Two lovers entwined pass me by_

_And heaven knows I'm miserable now’_

Hannah reached out and poked Harry’s arm as he, with difficulty, locked the stall behind him with his other arm. She smiled when he didn’t flinch.

“You seem better,” she said happily.

“We’d’ve come to meet you, but we wanted to get started on the Polyjuice Potion,” Ron explained. “We’ve decided this is the safest place to hide it.”

Harry started to tell them about Colin, but Hannah interrupted.

“We already know,” she said darkly. “We passed Minerva talking to Flitwick about it this morning.”

“That’s why we decided we’d better get going,” Hermione added.

_‘In my life_

_Why do I smile_

_At people who I'd much rather kick in the eye?_

_I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour’_

“Will you turn that off?” Harry asked Hannah. “There’s something else I’ve got to tell you guys.”

Hannah awkwardly bent over Harry to lean down and switch off the record player. She stood and repositioned herself before asking, “What’s up?”

Harry told them everything Dobby had told him… or hadn’t told him. They listened with their mouths open.

“Well, yes, Hannah’s dad told us the Chamber was opened in the 1940s yesterday,” Hermione said. “He knew a lot about the Chamber,” she added when Harry looked confused.

“But this settles it, for sure,” Ron said triumphantly. “Malfoy’s grandfather or something must’ve opened the Chamber when he was at school here and now he’s told dear Draco how to do it. It’s obvious. And Mr. Remus already knew that the monster was a snake!”

“A snake?” Harry questioned.

“That’s just what he thinks,” Hannah answered. “Because Slytherin and snakes, you know?”

Harry didn’t really know much more than the fact that Slytherin’s mascot was a snake but he shook his head, figuring that was what Hannah was getting at.

“It shouldn’t be too hard to figure out what kind of snake it is,” Hermione said as she prodded leeches into the bottom of the cauldron. “Maybe just a few deep dives in the animal section-“

“You read too much, Moony,” Ron said as he poured dead lacewings on top of the leeches. He crumpled up the empty lacewing bag and looked at Harry.

“So Dobby stopped us from getting on the train and broke your arm…” he shook his head. “You know what, Prongs? If he doesn’t stop trying to save your life he’s going to kill you.”

Hannah peered over the edge of the cauldron and pulled a face before looking back at Harry.

“On a happier note, my dad’s invited all of us to Christmas at my place this year,” she said cheerfully. Harry felt his heart soar. “Moony and Wormtail have already said they’d come. Do you want to?”

“Of course,” Harry answered, his voice breaking from happiness. Hannah smiled at him and he returned it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now by The Smiths  
> i always upload so late at night oops i'm sorry <3


	24. In Bloom - Year Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *TW* for brief internalized homophobia (like one sentence)  
> quoting from the Chamber of Secrets  
> sorry I had to take such a long break because of school <3 I should be able to go back to a weekly schedule now

It seemed that things were repeating themselves. The news that Colin Creevy had been attacked and was now lying as though dead in the hospital wing had spread through the entire school like wildfire. The air was suddenly thick with rumor and suspicion and the first years moved around the castle in tight-knit groups, as though scared they would be attacked if they walked to the bathroom by themselves.

The two things that gave the marauders the odd sense of deja-vu were rather simple. Ginny, who sat next to Colin in charms, was absolutely distraught, and the people around her were once again trying everything they could to cheer her back up. But perhaps the Weasley twins were going about it the wrong way. They were taking turns covering themselves with fur or boils and jumping out at her from behind statues and only stopped when Percy, spitting with rage, told them he was going to write to Mrs. Weasley and tell her that Ginny was having nightmares.

The second thing was the fact that Hermione was once again spending every waking moment in the library. Differing from the last time, she did tell them what she was up to… at first.

“Oh!” Hermione exclaimed suddenly the day after Colin’s incident when the marauders were seated at a library table in the far back to finish their homework. Hermione, who had done so well in transfiguration that day that she had been exceeded from the extra assignment, had been burying her face in a large and excruciatingly boring-looking book.

Hannah, Ron, and Harry all looked up curiously. She had been declining to speak to them up to that point.

“What is it, Moony?” Hannah asked. Hermione was bouncing up and down in her seat. She looked up at them for a split second and then closed her mouth again like she didn’t know exactly what to say. The others shared a look of confusion. Hermione had gotten up from her seat and was now doing an odd sort of jig.

“Er… Hermione?” Ron questioned. Hermione looked up and beamed at them.

“I found it, I found it!” she exclaimed. Madam Pince, a few shelves down, poked her head around at them and shushed her. The realization that she might be kicked out of the library seemed to sharpen Hermione’s senses a bit and she sat back down, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

“Look at this!” she said as she threw her book down in the middle of the table and pointed to a passage underneath a gruesome picture of an ugly snake. The other three leaned forward eagerly to read it.

_Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken’s egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it._

“Hermione…” Harry started cautiously. “You don’t think this is-“

“I think that’s exactly what it is!” Hermione said excitedly. “Look at this… _spiders flee before the Basilisk…_ _a murderous stare and all who are fixed with the beam shall suffer instant death-“_

“But no one’s died,” Hannah said.

“Exactly!” Hermione whispered. The others shared another look, confused. Hermione gave an exasperated sigh. “No one’s died because no one’s looked it directly in the eye! Mrs. Norris must have seen it through the water that was on the floor that night and Colin… Colin-“

“Colin had his camera,” Harry offered, “I saw them taking it away from his face.”

“Exactly!” Hermione repeated. “This fits. The spiders-“

“So the thing in the Chamber is a Basilisk?” Hannah said, looking a little grossed out.

“Imagine having a Basilisk as a pet,” Ron said, shaking his head sadly. “Salazar really was a loony old git.”

So the question of _what_ was solved, leaving _who_ and _where_ wide open. Their biggest lead was still Draco, but the Polyjuice Potion was only half-finished and was taking its time being made. 

In between classes and checks on the potion, the other marauders continued not to see much of Hermione. She, once again, was staying hidden in the library for long periods of time. The others did their homework with her but she still did not speak much more than the occasional grunt. As far as the other three could tell, she was not working on anything for the Chamber or getting a head start on exams. But she would not tell them what she was up to.

One night, Hannah, Ron, and Harry were waiting up in the common room for Hermione to return from the library and join them for a game of chess. But the hours passed very slowly and Hermione had still not shown. Since the curfew was now almost upon them, Hannah sighed as her knight took down Harry’s king for the third time that evening, and she stood up from her chair.

“Where are you going?” Harry asked curiously.

“To get Moony,” Hannah answered. “Probably forgotten the time.”

“See if you can try to get her to form a full sentence, while you’re at it,” Ron called at Hannah’s retreating back. Hannah waved her hand through the air like she was swatting a fly.

When Hannah stepped out into the hallway, she took the map out from her pocket. Curfew was approaching and it was very likely that if Filch caught her in the hallway, he’d try to stall until she was out past her restricted time. Wanting to avoid any nasty encounters, Hannah mumbled a quick: _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good._

Ink blossomed across the yellowed pages and Hannah looked and found her own feet on the map. Filch was in his office. Perfect.

Hannah tucked the map back in her pocket and began to walk down to the library. After a few minutes, she turned into the large room stacked with shelves and, avoiding Madam Pince’s eye, hooked a corner and began looking for Hermione. She found her shortly after, sitting down at one of the corner desks with her hand propped up on her hand. Hannah grinned to herself as she got closer and heard her snores. She walked up and nudged Hermione gently on her shoulder, of course causing her to jump violently and knock the book she’d been drooling over to the ground. Hannah laughed and went to pick it up as Hermione came to.

“I thought you might have fallen asleep back here,” Hannah said casually as she picked up the book and closed it to look at the cover. Her heart dropped down to her stomach at the title.

_The Depths and Causes of Scars by Anna Ried_

Hermione was mumbling absentmindedly about the time while she packed her bag and did not notice that Hannah had risen slowly to her feet with the book clutched in her hands. Hannah flipped it over to read the back, a sense of impending doom settling in her stomach.

_Many respectable witches and wizards are hosts to gruesome scars and pasts. But to know where the scars stem from, you must know which creatures create them. Is your magical counterpart as respectable as they seem? Or are they breeding fire-breathing chickens in their free time? Find out by reading this handy book._

Numb with an emotion she couldn’t place, Hannah flipped open the book and found it was in alphabetical order. She looked up and made sure Hermione was still turned around looking for her quill before she flipped to the W’s and found the section on werewolves. Quick as a flash, she ripped the pages out and stuck them in her pocket.

Hermione looked around curiously.

“What was that noise?” she asked. Hannah made her face look as innocent as possible.

“No idea,” she answered. “Why do you have this?” Hannah quickly changed the subject as she held up the small book. Hermione’s expression flickered a bit.

“Oh… um…” she stuttered. “Well, really just for a bit of light reading. I thought it looked interesting.”

Hannah could tell she was lying. Hermione was terrible at it.

“Oh,” Hannah said, forcing a laugh. “Looks dead boring to me.” She was still holding the book in her hands. Hermione’s eyes went from Hannah’s face to the book, and Hannah’s expression softened. “Here,” she said, handing it back to her. Hermione took it gratefully and stuffed it back in her bag.

“I don’t think that sort of thing is boring, really,” Hermione started as she closed her bulging bag and stood up. “I think it’s useful information… for later classes, you know? I mean we don’t know what will come up on Professor Lockhart’s exam-“

Hannah let Hermione ramble on as they walked back up to the common room together. She couldn’t help but feel like everything that was coming out of her friend's mouth was an attempt to lead her in the wrong direction. It didn’t make sense for Hermione to stray from her usual studies for no reason other than future preparation. They weren’t supposed to learn about how animals left scars until their third year when they could take Care of Magical Creatures. It just didn’t make sense. And Hermione had been looking at Remus more closely ever since Pomfrey had recognized him in the Hospital Wing. If she suspected… what would Remus say? People weren’t allowed to know. That had been one of the only rules in Hannah’s childhood. People mustn’t find out about her father’s condition. What if she had to stop being friends with Hermione…

That night, both girls lay awake in their separate beds, staring up at the ceiling of their dorm room, Hannah wondering what had compelled Hermione to start looking into scars, and Hermione wondering why several pages from the W section of her book had been torn out.

**

Christmas drew nearer and Professor McGonagall came around collecting the names of those who would be staying at school for Christmas. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were all relatively surprised when Hannah reached out a hand to take the slip.

“Um… Hannah?” Harry questioned, “I thought we were going to your dad’s for Christmas.”

Hannah’s face turned a light shade of pink and Hermione’s eyebrows knitted as she watched her friend form the thinking face she reserved for teachers when they were caught doing something they weren’t supposed to.

“Oh! I forgot to tell you!” Hannah scrambled. “Dad wrote me last night and told me he… er… fell ill. Minerva’s working on arrangements for us to come a few days after Christmas. He thinks he’ll feel better by then.”

Ron and Harry bought the lie relatively quickly and shrugged it off as they went to sign the form Hannah had just sprawled her signature on. But Hermione kept her eyes narrowed at her friend. Maybe it was how Hannah had been acting around Hermione lately or maybe it was the fact that she’d received a letter from Remus just that morning but Hermione didn’t think Hannah was telling the truth for even a second.

Hannah looked up and caught Hermione’s eye, flashing her a weak smile, and getting one in return. Hannah didn’t like the way Hermione’s eyes were still on her. She should’ve known her story would’ve only tricked the boys. And Merlin, she’d been so distracted trying to keep Hermione out of the library she’d forgotten to make it look even remotely convincing! Ron and Harry were always too busy locked in some deep conversation about a topic that was neither interesting nor relevant to Hannah or Hermione. She should’ve known they wouldn’t care, and that Hermione would be right on her.

“Wait,” Harry said suddenly, pointing to the Slytherin table. “Look at Malfoy!”

Draco had taken the Slytherin table’s slip and was signing it with a little too much flare. The marauders shared a look.

“That little shits staying for Christmas?” Ron said in a disgusted tone. “He never misses an opportunity to brag about his _Manor_. Why would he be staying here?”

“That is suspicious,” Hermione agreed. Hannah almost breathed out in relief at the subject change between her and Hermione.

“You think maybe we should try the potion over the holidays?” Hannah suggested. “No one will be here. It’ll be the perfect time to worm it out of him.”

“Sounds good to me,” Harry said after vaguely noticing all their eyes were on him for the go-ahead.

Unfortunately, the potion was only half-finished. They still needed the bicorn horn and the boomslang skin, and the only place they were going to get them was from Snape’s private stores. All four marauders privately felt that they’d rather face Slytherin’s Basilisk than let Snape catch them robbing his office.

“What we need,” Hermione said briskly as Thursday afternoon’s double potions lesson loomed nearer, “is a diversion. Then one of us can sneak into Snape’s office and take what we need.”

Harry and Ron looked at her nervously while Hannah bounced in her seat excitedly.

“You and I should do the actual stealing, Moony,” Hannah said happily. “You know what the ingredients look like and I can keep an eye on the map just in case Professor Slime comes creeping around.”

Hannah had taken to calling Snape ‘Professor Slime’ ever since he’d handed back one of her graded essays with a small wet blot on the corner. Hermione said it was water, but the other three had a much better time pretending it was grease from his hair.

“Good idea,” Hermione continued in a matter-of-fact tone before turning back to Harry and Ron. “You two will be expelled if you get into any more trouble, and Pads and I have got clean records. So all you need to do is cause enough mayhem to keep Snape busy for five minutes or so.”

Harry and Ron smiled feebly while Hannah piped up with ideas for the distraction. Deliberately causing mayhem in Snape’s potions class was about as safe as poking a sleeping dragon in the eye.

Thursday afternoon proceeded in the usual way, all the second year Gryffindors solemnly making their way down to one of the larger dungeons, only this time Hermione had the invisibility cloak and the map stuffed in her bag. Twenty cauldrons stood steaming between the wooden desks, on which stood brass scales and jars of ingredients. Snape prowled through the fumes, making waspish remarks about the Gryffindors’ work while Draco’s bunch of Slytherins sniggered appreciatively. Draco was, coincidentally, Snape’s favorite student and was currently getting away with flicking puffer-fish eyes at the marauders’ table. They all knew if they retaliated they’d get detention faster than you could say “unfair”, but that didn’t stop Hannah from trying to throw a bowtruckle spleen into Draco’s ear. But before it could go flying through the air, Hermione grabbed her wrist and reminded Hannah of the task at hand.

Harry’s swelling solution was far too runny, but he had his mind on more important things. He was waiting for Hermione’s signal, and he hardly listened as Snape paused to sneer at his watery potion. When Snape turned and walked off to bully Neville, Hermione caught Harry’s eye and nodded.

Harry ducked swiftly behind his cauldron, pulled one of Fred’s Filibuster fireworks out of his pocket, and gave it a quick prod with his wand. The firework began to fizz and splutter and Harry, knowing he had only seconds, straightened up, took aim, and lobbed it into the air.

“Hannah, let’s go!” Hermione hissed as she tugged on her friend’s sleeve. Hannah, who had been watching Harry’s throw with her mouth slightly open, shook herself and ducked underneath the cloak next to Hermione. Ron looked down to hear a whisper of, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,” just as the classroom exploded.

The firework had landed right on target in Goyle’s potion, causing it to erupt like a volcano and spray the closest Slytherins. Draco got a faceful and his nose began to swell like a balloon, Goyle blundered around, his hands that had expanded to the size of dinner plates over his eyes. Snape was trying to restore calm and find out what had happened. Through the chaos, Harry saw the door to Snape’s office open and close.

“Silence! SILENCE!” Snape roared. “Anyone who has been splashed, come here for a deflating draft… when I find out who did this…”

Harry and Ron avoided eye contact and tried not to laugh as they watched Draco hurry forward, his head drooping with the weight of a nose that had grown to the size of a small melon. As half the class lumbered up to Snape’s desk, some weighted down with arms like clubs, others unable to talk through gigantic puffed-up lips, Harry and Ron felt a gust of air brush by their ankles as Hannah and Hermione made it back to the desk. They ripped off the cloak and closed the map, stuffing all incriminating items safely into Hermione’s bag. No teacher would question them if Hermione’s bag was the one that was bulging more than usual. 

Hannah and Hermione hopped back into their seats just in time for Snape to do a sweeping glare of the classroom. As he turned back to tending to Pansy Parkinson’s giant ear, Hannah winked at Harry and he felt his heart flutter.

When everyone had taken a swig on antidote and the various swellings had subsided, Snape swept over to Goyle’s cauldron and scooped out the twisted black remains of the firework. A sudden hush rippled across the classroom.

“When I find out who did this,” Snape whispered. “I shall _make sure_ that person… or persons… is expelled.”

Harry arranged his face into what he hoped was a puzzled expression, for Snape was looking right at him and Hannah. But Hannah did not fake an expression, instead, she smiled in a friendly way which caused Snape’s scowl to deepen. For some reason, skirting under Snape’s nose and causing him anger after all of the snide comments and loss of points she’d endured made Hannah feel almost proud of herself. She knew Remus wouldn’t have been proud but… she had an odd feeling like _someone_ would. 

Snape’s rotten mood continued for the rest of the class period, which made the bell that rang ten minutes later more than welcome.

“He knew it was me,” Harry told his friends as they hurried back to Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. “I could tell.”

“Good,” Hannah said flatly, causing the others to look at her in confusion as they stepped into the tiled room. “There’s no way he can prove it was you… so he’ll just be pissed and won’t be able to do _anything_ about it.”

They entered their stall where Hermione threw the new ingredients into the cauldron and began to stir feverishly.

“It’ll be ready in two weeks,” she said happily.

“Like Pads said, Snape can’t prove it was you,” Ron said reassuringly to Harry after noticing his grumpy face was still glued tightly on. “What can he do?”

“Knowing Snape, something foul,” Harry said darkly as the potion bubbled. Hannah sighed.

“Oh, come on, Prongs,” she complained. “He won’t be able to do anything but pout. And if he does try something, I’ll just tell my dad and he’ll talk to Dumbledore about getting him fired. Though I’m not quite sure how he’s still teaching currently…”

Hermione gave a snort of agreement.

“Honestly, you’d think a teacher who bullies students like that would at least get a stern talking-to. I mean, he makes Neville cry almost every single class!”

“Maybe Dumbledore doesn’t know,” Ron offered.

“No,” Harry said sternly. “Dumbledore knows everything. Although… I don’t really understand why he hasn’t done anything.”

Hannah frowned at the look on her friend’s face.

“Look,” she said cheerfully. “Why don’t we go down to our spot by the forest? We haven’t been in forever. And I’ve been carrying around my record player by accident for the past week. Along with Gizmo…” Hannah flipped open the top of her bag and they all smiled at the fuzzy puffskein that was snoozing happily on top of a charms textbook.

“But it’s freezing outside,” Ron complained.

“I’ll make a fire,” Hermione said as she began packing her bag up again. “Oh, let’s go. It’ll be good to get some fresh air. Besides, I like reading outside better anyway.”

So the four marauders packed their things and made their way down to the forest, Gizmo humming happily on Hannah’s shoulder.

**

A week later, Harry, Hannah, Ron, and Hermione were all walking across the entrance hall when they saw a small knot of people gathered around the notice board, reading a piece of parchment that had just been pinned up. Seamus and Dean beckoned them over, looking excited.

“They’re staring a dueling club!” Seamus said. “First meeting tonight! I wouldn’t mind dueling lessons; they might come in handy one of these days…”

“I’d pay good money to see a Basilisk try to pick up a wand,” Hannah snickered in Harry’s ear, but she was reading the flyer with interest.

“Still, could be useful,” Ron said. “Shall we go?”

“Oh definitely,” Hannah said. “Remember Prongs never got to duel Malfoy first year. We’ll need actual practice in case anyone with a spine ever challenges us.”

Harry and Hermione were all for it as well, so at eight o’clock that evening they hurried back to the Great Hall. The long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall, lit by thousands of candles floating overhead. The ceiling was velvety black once more and most of the school seemed to be packed beneath it, all carrying their wands and looking excited.

Hannah stood up on her toes to peer over to the Slytherin side. She caught Ophelia’s eye and waved enthusiastically, receiving a small smile back.

“You know, I saw her coming out of a third year class yesterday,” Ron whispered in Hannah’s ear.

“Age is just a number,” Hannah said quickly and Ron snorted.

“Tell that to her. Don’t think any thirteen-year-old in their right mind would date a twelve-year-old,” he replied.

“Well, when she is in her six year and I in my fifth, I will ask her out and you will cry in the corner partnerless while we dance around you,” Hannah snapped back and Ron giggled.

“Fifth year is a long way away,” he said and Hannah gave a dramatic sigh.

“I’m willing to wait for true love, Ronald,” she replied before breaking off into a laugh. Harry had been watching and listening in on their conversation and felt a slight twinge in his gut. It still seemed so normal… the way they talked about a same-sex crush. Harry wondered vaguely if Ron liked boys. It didn’t seem like he did… at least he never talked about it to Harry. Only, there was that one time at the Burrow when he was showing off a poster of his favorite chaser and he started blushing.

But besides the conflicted feelings their conversation had given him, Harry also felt odd about hearing Hannah talk that way about Ophelia. He supposed it was just because Hannah was his friend and Ophelia obviously didn’t share those feelings. Harry just didn’t want to see her hurt. But still… he felt a hint of jealously when he caught Hannah glancing over at the Slytherins.

Hermione was oblivious to her friends' tension.

“I wonder who will be teaching us?” she said as they edged their way through the crowd to try and get better places towards the front. “Someone told me Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young… maybe it’ll be him.”

“As long as it’s not…” Harry began but quickly broke off into a groan that Hannah and Ron shared. Gilderoy Lockhart was walking onto the stage, looking brilliant in robes of deep plum. Harry had been preparing himself to push down butterflies but he quickly found he need not bother; Snape was accompanying Lockhart, wearing his usual black. Harry took a few instinctual steps back at the glare he received.

Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called, “Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent! Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions-“

Hannah and Ron rolled their eyes in unison.

“-for full details, see my published works. Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape,” Lockhart said, flashing a wide smile. “He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don’t want any of you youngsters to worry… you’ll still have your Potions master when I’m through with him, never fear!”

If Lockhart had bothered to look away from the students and see the look Snape was giving him, he would’ve certainly been the one to fear.

“Wouldn’t it be good if they finished each other off?’ Ron muttered.

“Oh, everyone cross your fingers,” Hannah whispered back.

Snape’s upper lip was curling but Lockhart was still blissfully unaware. Harry wondered how Lockhart hadn’t caught it yet. If Snape had been looking at him like that he’d have been running as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed. Or, at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands whereas Snape jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them.

“As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position,” Lockhart told the silent crowd. “On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course.”

“I wouldn’t bet on that,” Harry murmured, watching Snape baring his teeth.

“One… two… three-“

Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent. Snape cried, _“Expelliarmus!”_

There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet. He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.

“Brilliant!” Hannah applauded. Draco and a few of the other Slytherins cheered. Hermione was dancing on her tiptoes.

“Do you think he’s all right?” she squealed through her fingers.

“Who cares?” Hannah, Harry, and Ron said in unison. Secretly Harry was hoping Lockhart had knocked his head on something. Maybe he’d be just hurt enough to go home and those weird feelings Harry got when he saw him would go away.

But Lockhart was getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end.

“Well, there you have it!” he said, tottering back onto the platform. “That was a disarming charm… as you see, I’ve lost my wand… ah, thank you, Miss Brown… yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don’t mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy… however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see-“

Snape was looking murderous and it seemed Lockhart had finally caught on because he quickly said, “Enough demonstrating! I’m going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you’d like to help me-“

They moved through the crowd, matching up partners. Hannah and Hermione went towards each other immediately as well as Ron and Harry. Lockhart paired Neville with Justin Flinch-Fletchly, but Snape reached the marauders first.

“Time to split up the dream team, I think,” he sneered. “Lupin, you go with Parkinson. Weasley, you with Finnigan. Potter-“

Harry moved automatically toward Hermione.

“I don’t think so,” Snape said, flashing him a cold smile. “Mr. Malfoy come over here. Let’s see what you make of the famous Potter. And you, Miss Granger… you can partner Miss Bulstrode.”

Draco strutted over, smirking. Behind him walked a Slytherin girl that the marauders hadn’t ever spoken to before, but knew she was on good terms with Draco and Pansy. She was rather broad with long brown hair and a very pretty face. Hermione gave her a weak smile that she did not return.

“Face your partners!” Lockhart called, back on the platform, “And bow!”

Hannah bowed stiffly at Pansy without taking her eyes off her and Pansy did the same. Hannah had not forgotten when they’d walked Pansy to the hospital wing first year after she’d been bullied by some older Gryffindors, but Pansy made it clear she wanted her to. She’d kept up her cold stiff persona and so had Hannah. It irritated Hannah quite a bit, as part of her had hoped they’d get to be friends.

Harry and Draco barely inclined their heads at each other and didn’t break eye contact for a second. Draco was wearing his usual sneer and Harry his frown.

“Wands at the ready!” shouted Lockhart. “When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents… only to disarm them… we don’t want any accidents… one… two… three…”

Harry swung his wand high, but Draco had already started on “two”. His spell hit Harry so hard he felt as though he’d been hit over the head with a saucepan. He stumbled, but everything still seemed to be working, and wasting no time, Harry pointed his wand straight at Draco and shouted, _“Rictusempra!”_

A jet of silvery light hit Draco in the stomach and he doubled up, wheezing.

“I said disarm only!” Lockhart shouted over the heads of the battling crowd. Pansy had attempted to hit Hannah with a tickling charm, which had, naturally, infuriated Hannah to the point of dropping her wand and punching her opponent in the jaw. They rolled around on the floor while everyone else cast their feeble spells. Pansy was a surprisingly good fighter, Hannah thought absentmindedly as she attempted to rip out a chunk of her hair.

Meanwhile, Draco sank to his knees. Harry had hit him with the same tickling charm Pansy had tried to use on Hannah, and now he could barely move from laughter. Harry hung back, thinking it would be unsportsmanlike to bewitch Draco while he was on the floor but this was a mistake. Gasping for breath, Draco pointed his wand at Harry’s knees and choked, _“Tarantallegra!”._ Harry’s legs began to jerk around out of his control in a kind of quickstep.

“Stop! Stop!” Lockhart screamed, but Snape took charge.

 _“Finite Incantatem!”_ he shouted. Harry’s feet stopped dancing, Draco stopped laughing, and they were able to look up.

A haze of greenish smoke was hovering over the scene. Both Neville and Justin were lying on the floor, wheezing. Ron was holding up an ashen-faced Seamus, apologizing for whatever his broken wand had done. Hannah and Pansy were still rolling around on the floor but were soon yanked apart by Snape, who pushed them off into different directions. Hannah immediately jumped into another fight, of course, when she saw that Millicent had Hermione in a headlock and Hermione was whimpering in pain. Harry ran over too and in a matter of seconds they’d yanked the other girl off.

“Dear, dear,” Lockhart said, walking through the crowd and looking at the aftermath of the duels. “Up you go, MacMillan… careful there, Miss Fawcett… pinch it hard, it’ll stop bleeding in a second, Boot-“

After making sure everyone was all right, Lockhart straightened up and sighed.

“I think I’d better teach you how to _block_ unfriendly spells,” he said in a flustered voice. Lockhart glanced at Snape, whose black eyes glinted, and looked away quickly. “Let’s have a volunteer pair… Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you-“

“A bad idea, Professor Lockhart,” Snape said, gliding over like a large bat. “Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We’ll be sending what’s left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox.”

Neville’s round face blushed a deep pink and he looked toward the ground. Hermione reached over and patted him on the shoulder, whispering in his ear about Snape not telling the truth.

“How about Malfoy and Potter?” Snape continued with a twisted smile.

“Excellent idea!” Lockhart said, beckoning Harry and Draco up to the stage. Hannah grabbed Harry by the shoulder as he walked up and whispered a fast stream of suggested spells into his ear.

“…and an old fashion _petrificus totalus_ will knock him down for good. Just make sure you kick his privileged ass-“

“Lupin!” Snape hissed into the crowd. “Get your claws out of Potter’s shoulder. Potter! Let’s go.”

Harry sighed and marched up to the middle of the hall. The other students backed away to give them room.

“Now Harry,” Lockhart said when he reached him. “When Draco points his wand at you, you do _this.”_

He raised his own wand, attempted a complicated sort of wiggling action, and dropped it. Harry felt a small pit of shame build up in his stomach for being attracted to Lockhart. Then he snapped his head up, realizing what he had just thought. He was _attracted_ to Lockhart! _Attracted-_

“Whoops… my wand is a little overexcited-“ Lockhart said, breaking Harry’s train of thought. Snape moved closer to Draco, bent down, and whispered something in his ear. Draco smirked. Harry, still thoroughly shaken from his realization, tried to focus on Draco instead.

“Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?” Harry asked Lockhart.

“Scared?” Draco muttered.

“You wish,” Harry said out of the corner of his mouth. In the crowd, Ron and Hannah shared a proud grin.

Lockhart cuffed Harry merrily on the shoulder. “Just do what I did, Harry!”

“What, drop my wand?”

Lockhart wasn’t listening.

“Three… two… one… go!” he shouted.

Draco raised his wand quickly and bellowed, _“Serpensortia!”_

The end of his wand exploded and the crowd collectively screamed and took several steps back. Harry watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of Draco’s wand and fell heavily to the floor between them. It raised itself, ready to strike. Ron preemptively raised his wand at the snake to shoot at curse at it but Hermione smacked his hand away.

“Don’t move, Potter,” Snape said lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry snake. “I’ll get rid of it…”

“Allow me!” Lockhart shouted. The crowd groaned as he brandished his wand at the snake and created another loud bang. The snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight toward Justin and raised itself again, fangs exposed, poised to strike. The crowd screamed and Justine froze, staring at the snake, too frightened to move.

Harry wasn’t sure what made him do it. He wasn’t even aware of deciding to do it.

In the crowd, Hannah, Hermione, and Ron all watched in horror as Harry walked almost zombie-like toward the snake and began hissing at it. It was hands down the strangest thing Hannah had ever seen. Harry began hissing and spitting but sounded nothing like a human. Instead, he sounded exactly like the snake. They all watched in a state of shock as the snake slumped to the floor, docile and calm, its eyes now on Harry whose face was equally peaceful until he looked up and caused everyone to back up even more by flashing Justin a wide grin.

Harry had been expecting to see Justin looking relieved, or puzzled, or even grateful… but certainly not angry and scared.

“What do you think you’re playing at?” Justin shouted, and before Harry could say anything, Justin turned and stormed out of the hall.

Snape stepped forward, waved his wand, and the snake vanished in a small puff of black smoke. Harry looked up and saw something that made him even more worried. Snape was looking at him as well, but not his usual glare. His eyes were cool and calculating and they set Harry’s teeth on edge.

The crowd was muttering ominously so Ron, Hannah, and Hermione rushed forward at Harry to take him out of the room.

“Come on,” Ron said as he tugged on the back of Harry’s robes. “Move… come on…”

He steered him out of the hall, Hannah and Hermione hurrying alongside them. As they went through the doors, the people on either side draw away as though they were frightened of catching something. Harry didn’t have a clue what was going on and no one said a word until they got back up to the empty Gryffindor common room. Hannah flung herself down into an armchair and placed her head in her hands as Ron pushed Harry into the armchair opposite her.

“You’re a Parselmouth,” Ron said. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I’m a what?” Harry said.

“A Parselmouth!” Ron repeated. “You can talk to snakes!”

“I know,” Harry said. Hannah took her head out of her hands and frowned at him. “I mean, that’s only the second time I’ve ever done it. I accidentally set a boa constrictor on my cousin Dudley at the zoo once… long story… but it was telling me it had never seen Brazil and I sort of set it free without meaning to. That was before I knew I was a wizard-“

“A boa constrictor told you it had never seen Brazil?” Ron repeated faintly. Hannah put her head back in her hands.

“So?” Harry said. “I bet loads of people here can do it.”

“Oh, no they can’t,” Ron said. “It’s not a very common gift, Prongs, this is bad.”

“What’s bad?” Harry said, starting to feel quite angry. “What’s wrong with everyone? Listen, if I hadn’t told that snake not to attack Justin-“

“Oh, that’s what you said to it?”

Hannah stood up and began to pace as Harry said, “What do you mean? You were there… you heard me-“

“We couldn’t understand what you were saying, Prongs,” Hannah finally said. “You were speaking snake language. It just sounded like a load of angry hissing.”

Harry gaped at her.

“I spoke a different language? But… I didn’t realize… how can I speak a language without knowing I can speak it?”

Ron shook his head and Hannah got quiet. Harry looked back and forth between his three friends. They were all acting as if someone had died. Harry couldn’t see what was so terrible.

“D’you want to tell me what’s wrong with stopping a massive snake biting off Justin’s head?” he said. “What does it matter _how_ I did it as long as Justin doesn’t have to join the Headless Hunt?”

“It matters,” Hermione said, speaking at last in a hushed voice, “because being able to talk to snakes was what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. That’s why the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent.”

Harry’s mouth fell open.

“It’s a very, _very_ rare gift,” Hannah emphasized.

“And it’s bad,” Ron said, “because now the whole school’s going to think you’re his great-great-great-grandson or something-“

“But I’m not,” Harry said, panicking slightly as he realized now everyone would be thinking him the heir.

“You’ll find that hard to prove,” Hermione said. “He lived a thousand years ago. For all we know, you could be.”

“The Potter’s are a very old family,” Hannah said. “As far as I know, they’ve always been sorted into Gryffindor. But that doesn’t mean they’re not descended from him.”

Harry’s panic grew more pronounced on his face and Hannah crouched down at his feet and grabbed his knees. He looked up at her and she frowned at the tears in his eyes before reaching up and wiping them away.

“We already know people here will believe anything,” Hannah said in a steady voice. “But _we_ know you’re not the heir. And we’ll be here for you no matter what anyone says. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that who you’re related to doesn’t define you.”

Green eyes met gold and they shared a smile.

Harry lay awake for hours that night, watching snow drift past the tower window through a gap in the curtains around his four-poster bed and wondering if he really could be a descendant of Salazar Slytherin. All he knew about his father’s family was second-hand information from Hannah. The Potters were apparently a very old wizarding family. It was at least somewhat possible that he was a descendant…

Quietly, Harry tried to say something in Parseltongue but the words wouldn’t come. It seemed he had to be face-to-face with a snake to do it.

Harry turned over in his bed. He’d see Justin the next day in herbology and he’d explain that he’d been calling the snake off not egging it on. Which any fool should have realized, he thought angrily as he pummeled his pillow into a comfier shape.

**

By the next morning, however, the snow that had begun in the night had turned into a blizzard so thick that the last herbology lesson of the term was canceled. Professor Sprout wanted to fit socks and scarves on the mandrakes, a tricky operation she would entrust to no one else, now that it was so important for the mandrakes to grow quickly and revive Mrs. Norris and Colin Creevy. Though, down in the common room before the boys had woken up, Hannah and Hermione saw Neville climb out of the portrait hole with his gardening gloves sticking out of his pocket. Hannah and Hermione shared a smile; Neville looked a lot happier than he had the other day when Snape insulted him. It was good he had a teacher that recognized his strengths and let him feel included.

After breakfast, the marauders made their way back up to the common room and chose their favorite armchairs. Hannah set up her record player on the window sill and they turned it down to a low hum so only they could hear it while they played chess to pass the time. 

_‘He's the one_

_Who likes all our pretty songs_

_And he likes to sing along_

_And he likes to shoot his gun_

_But he knows not what it means’_

Hannah hummed along to the song while she watched Ron and Hermione play their round. Harry, however, kept sighing and moving around in his seat. Whether or not he knew he was annoying his friends was a mystery, he had already shared with them his worries about not getting to apologize to Justin and they’d sympathized. But now his grumpiness was getting out of hand.

Harry stood up, stretched, then flung himself back down in his seat dramatically with a huge sigh. Hannah glared at him.

“I swear to Merlin, I’m going to strangle you-“

“What did I do?!”

“Oh, for heaven's sake, Prongs,” Hermione sighed. “Go and _find_ Justin if it’s so important to you.”

“That sounds like a brilliant idea,” Hannah encouraged. Harry rolled his eyes and got back up out of his seat again, walking to the portrait hole.

“Do you want us to come with you?” Ron called without taking his eyes off his bishop that was currently wrestling one of Hermione’s knights to the ground.

“No, I got it,” Harry replied as he climbed down out of the hole. He realized too late that Hermione had the map and he had no idea where Justin was, but he decided that a walk around the castle was what he needed anyway, so he began to wander around looking for him.

The castle was darker than it usually was in the daytime because of the thick, swirling gray snow at every window. As Harry walked he began to hum the lyrics of the song Hannah had been playing in the common room.

_‘And I say he's the one_

_Who likes all our pretty songs_

_And he likes to sing along_

_And he likes to shoot his gun_

_But he knows not what it means_

_Knows not what it means_

_And I say yeah’_

He walked past Professor McGonagall’s class and grinned when he heard her yelling at someone who, by the sound of it, had turned his friend into a badger. Resisting the urge to look, Harry kept walking past the classroom and decided to check the library, thinking Justine might be using his free time to catch up on some work.

A group of Hufflepuffs who should have been in herbology were sitting at the back of the library, but they didn’t seem to be working. Between the long lines of high bookshelves, Harry could see that their heads were close together and they were having what looked like an absorbing conversation. He couldn’t see if Justin was with them or not. Knitting his eyebrows together, Harry got closer to hear what they were saying.

“So anyway,” one of the Hufflepuff boys said, “I told Justin to hide up in our dormitory. I mean to say, if Potter’s marked him down as his next victim, it’s best if he keeps a low profile for a while. Of course, Justin’s been waiting for something like this to happen ever since he let slip to Potter he was Muggle-born. Justin actually told him he’d been down for Eton. That’s not the kind of thing you bandy about with Slytherin’s heir on the loose, is it?”

“You definitely think it _is_ Potter, then, Ernie?” a girl Harry recognized as the other Hannah.

“Hannah,” Ernie said solemnly, “he’s a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that’s the mark of a dark wizard. Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes? They called Slytherin himself Serpent-tongue.”

There was some heavy murmuring at this, and Harry felt heat rise in his face and the strong urge to cry as Ernie went on.

“Remember what was written on the wall?” Ernie said. “Enemies of the Heir Beware. Potter and Lupin had some sort of run-in with Filch. Next thing we know, Filch’s cat’s attacked. That first year, Creevey, was annoying Potter at the quidditch match, taking pictures of him while he was lying in the mud. Next thing we know… Creevey’s been attacked.”

“He always seems so nice, though,” the other Hannah said uncertainly, “and, well, he’s the one who made You-Know-Who disappear. He can’t be all bad, can he?”

Ernie lowered his voice mysteriously and the Hufflepuffs bent closer to hear his words. Harry edged nearer to the shelf while silently cursing himself for not having the cloak on him.

“No one knows how he survived that attack by You-Know-Who. I mean to say, he was only a baby when it happened. He should have been blasted into smithereens. Only a really powerful dark wizard could have survived a curse like that.”

He dropped his voice even lower until it was barely a whisper and said, “That’s probably why You-Know-Who wanted to kill him in the first place. Didn’t want another dark lord _competing_ with him. I wonder what other powers Potter’s been hiding-“

Harry’s anger level had been steadily rising since he heard Ernie’s first few words and he finally couldn’t take anymore. Clearing his throat loudly, he stepped out from behind the bookshelves. If he hadn’t been feeling so angry, he would have found the sight that greeted him funny. Every one of the Hufflepuffs looked as though they had been petrified by the sight of him, and the color was draining out of Ernie’s face.

“Hello,” Harry said stupidly. “I’m looking for Justine Finch-Fletchley.”

The Hufflepuffs’ worst fears had clearly been confirmed. They all looked fearfully at Ernie.

“What do you want with him?” Ernie said in a quavering voice.

“I wanted to tell him what really happened with that snake at the Dueling Club,” Harry replied icily. Ernie bit his lips and took a deep breath before speaking again.

“We were all there. We saw what happened.”

“Then you noticed that after I spoke to it, the snake backed off?” Harry said.

“All I saw,” Ernie said stubbornly, trembling as he spoke, “was you speaking Parseltongue and chasing the snake toward Justin.”

“I didn’t chase it at him!” Harry said, his voice shaking with anger. “It didn’t even touch him!”

“It was a very near miss,” Ernie said. “And in case you’re getting ideas, I might tell you that you can trace my family back through nine generations of witches and warlocks and my blood’s as pure as anyone’s, so-“

“I don’t care what sort of blood you’ve got!” harry said fiercely. “Why would I want to attack Muggle-borns? My best friend is one, my mum was one-“

Harry’s voice cracked slightly and for a second the Hufflepuffs looked sympathetic, but Ernie snapped back stubbornly once more.

“I heard you hate those Muggles you live with,” he said swiftly.

“It’s not possible to live with the Dursleys and not hate them,” Harry said. “I’d like to see you try it.”

And with that he turned on his heel and stormed out of the library, earning himself a reproachful glare from Madam Pince, who was polishing the cover of a large spellbook.

Harry blundered up the corridor, barely noticing where he was going he was in such a fury. This resulted in him walking right into something very large and solid, which knocked him backward onto the floor.

“Oh, hello, Hagrid,” Harry said once he looked up and recognized his large friend. Hagrid’s face was entirely hidden by a wooly, snow-covered balaclava but it couldn’t be anyone else, as he filled up most of the corridor with his moleskin overcoat. A dead rooster was hanging from one of his massive, gloved hands.

“All righ’, Harry?” he said, pulling up the balaclava so he could speak. “Why aren’t yeh in class?’

“Canceled,” Harry said, getting up. “What’re you doing here?”

Hagrid held up the limp rooster.

“Second one killed this term,” he explained. ‘it’s either foxes or a Blood-Sucking Bugbear, and I need the Headmaster’s permission ter put a charm around the hen coop.”

He peered more closely at Harry from under his thick, snow-flecked eyebrows.

“Yeh sure yer all right? Yeh look all hot an’ bothered-“

But Harry couldn’t bring himself to repeat what Ernie and the rest of the Hufflepuffs had been saying about him. It would be bad enough explaining it to Ron, Hermione, and Hannah.

“It’s nothing,” Harry lied quickly. “I’d better get going, Hagrid, it’s transfiguration next and I’ve got to pick up my books.”

He walked off, his mind still swimming with the words Ernie had said about him.

_“Justin’s been waiting for something like this to happen ever since he let slip to Potter he was Muggle-born…”_

Harry stamped up the stairs and turned along another corridor, which was particularly dark. The torches had been extinguished by a strong, icy draft that was blowing through a loose windowpane. He was halfway down the passage when he tripped headlong over something lying on the floor. He turned to squint at what he’d fallen over and felt his stomach drop in horror.

Justin Finch-Fletchley was lying on the floor, rigid and cold, a look of shock frozen on his face, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. And that wasn’t all. Next to him was another figure which just happened to be the strangest sight Harry had ever seen.

Nearly Headless Nick, no longer pearly-white and transparent, but black and smoky was floating immobile and horizontal, six inches off the floor. His head was half off and his face wore an expression of shock identical to Justin’s.

Harry got to his feet, his breathing fast and shallow and his heart doing a kind of drumroll against his ribs. He looked wildly up and down the deserted corridor and saw a line of spiders scuttling as fast as they could away from the petrified bodies. The only sounds were the muffled voices of teachers from the classes on either side.

He could run, and no one would ever know he had been there. But he couldn’t just leave them lying here… he had to get help… would anyone believe he hadn’t had anything to do with this besides Ron, Hannah, and Hermione?

As he stood there, panicking, a door right next to him opened with a bang and Peeves came shooting out.

“Why, it’s potty wee Potter!” Peeves cackled, knocking Harry’s glasses askew as he bounced past him. “What’s Potter up to? Why’s Potter lurking-“

Peeves stopped, halfway through a midair somersault as he spotted Justin and Nearly Headless Nick. He flipped the right way up, filled his lungs, and, before Harry could do anything to stop him, screamed, “ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAAAACK!”

_crash… crash… crash…_

Door after door flew open along the corridor and people flooded out. For several long minutes, there was a scene of such confusion that Justin was in danger of being squashed and people kept standing in Nearly Headless Nick. Harry found himself pinned against the wall as the teachers shouted for quiet. Professor McGonagall came running, followed by her class, one of whom still had white and black striped hair. She used her wand to set off a loud bang which restored silence and made it easier for her to usher everyone back into their classes. No sooner had the scene cleared somewhat than Ernie arrived on the scene.

 _“Caught in the act!”_ Ernie yelled, his face stark white, pointing his finger dramatically at Harry.

“That will do Macmillan!” Professor McGonagall said sharply. Peeves was bobbing overhead, now grinning wickedly, surveying the scene. He always did love chaos. As the teacher bent over Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, he broke into a song:

_“Oh Potter, you rotter, oh, what have you done. You’re killing off students, you think it’s good fun-“_

“That’s enough Peeves!” Professor McGonagall snapped and Peeves zoomed away backward with his tongue out at Harry.

Justin was carried up to the hospital wing by Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy department. When no one knew what to do about Nearly Headless Nick, Professor McGonagall conjured a large fan out of thin air and gave it to Ernie, with clear instructions to waft him up the stairs. This Ernie did, fanning nick along like a silent black hovercraft and leaving Harry and Professor McGonagall alone.

“This way, Potter,” she said curtly.

“Professor,” Harry said at once, “I swear I didn’t-“

“This is out of my hands, Potter,” Professor McGonagall said, leaving Harry with the odd lump in his chest building like it always did before quidditch matches. He took deep breaths to calm himself as they marched in silence around a corner. Professor McGonagall stopped right before a large and extremely ugly gargoyle. 

“Lemon Drop!” she said. This was evidently a password because the gargoyle sprang suddenly to life and hopped aside as the wall behind him split in two. Even full of dread Harry couldn’t fail to be amazed. Behind the wall was a spiral staircase that was moving smoothly upward like an escalator. As he and Professor McGonagall stepped onto it, Harry heard the wall thud closed behind them. They rose upward in circles, higher and higher until at last Harry saw a gleaming oak door ahead, with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin.

He knew now where he was being taken, and it did not help the build-up of stress in his chest at all. This must be where Dumbledore lived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is In Bloom by Nirvana


	25. Heart of Glass - Year Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *TW* for panic attacks   
> quoting from the Chamber of Secrets  
> this chapter is kinda long lol oops

They stepped off the stone staircase at the top, and Professor McGonagall rapped on the door. Harry could almost hear his heart pounding in his chest as it swung open silently and they entered.

“Wait here, Potter,” Professor McGonagall said when they got to the middle of the room. Before she left, she placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed slightly. Harry was too nervous to notice.

As he looked around, he became certain of one thing: of all the teachers’ offices Harry had visited so far this year, Dumbledore’s was by far the most interesting. If he hadn’t been scared out of his wits that he was about to be thrown out of school, he would have been very pleased to have a chance to look at it.

It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises and strange objects. Several curious silver instruments stood on spin legged tables, whirring, and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tattered wizard’s hat… the  _ Sorting Hat. _

Harry hesitated, feeling his curiosity rise despite himself. He knew, of course, that there was nothing wrong with being in Slytherin... as Hannah frequently reminded him. But it seemed if the sorting hat stuck by its first suggestion of where Harry should be placed it was more likely he was related to Salazar… right? He might as well see. Surely it wouldn’t hurt if he took the hat for just a second and tried it on again. Just to… make  _ sure _ it had put him in the right house.

He walked quietly around the desk, lifted the hat from its shelf, and lowered it slowly onto his head. It was much too large and slipped down over his eyes, just as it had done the last time he’d put it on. Harry felt a flicker of insecurity rise as he stared at the black inside of the hat waiting for the voice to speak. Had he  _ really _ not grown at all since the beginning of last-

“Bee in your bonnet, Potter?” a small voice in his ear said. Harry jumped violently and took a second to steady himself before mumbling,

“Er, yes. Er… sorry to bother you… I wanted to ask-“

“You’ve been wondering whether I put you in the right House,” the hat said smartly. “Yes, you were particularly difficult to place. Unlike your father in that way, I hardly took a second for him!”

Harry’s heart dropped down into his stomach. Of course, his father had been perfect for Gryffindor…

“Your mother, however, took a bit longer,” the hat said, with the heir of someone who had not talked in a while and was anxious to get all their words out at once. “She had the brains for Ravenclaw  _ and _ the heart for Hufflepuff but she  _ wanted _ to be in Slytherin.”

Harry frowned. Why on earth would his mother have wanted to be in Slytherin?

“But, overall, she suited Gryffindor the best. Her bravery outdid other aspects of her personality. Quite similarly to you…”

This made Harry smile for what felt like the first time in a while. So he was like his mother! Although he had no idea why she would’ve wanted to be in Slytherin. He was certainly unlike her in that way… he shook himself, thinking of what Hannah would say if he’d said that aloud.

“But I stand by what I said before… you would have done well in Slytherin-“

Harry’s stomach plummeted again. He grabbed the point of the hat and pulled it off, staring at it blankly when it hung limply in his hand, grubby and faded. Harry pushed it back onto its shelf, feeling sick for some reason.

“You’re wrong,” he said aloud to the still and silent hat, which, unsurprisingly, didn’t move. Feeling rather stupid, Harry backed away from the hat, thinking hard about everything it had just told him. Then a strange, gagging noise behind him broke his train of thought and caused him to spin around.

He wasn’t alone after all. Standing on a golden perch behind the door was a decrepit-looking bird that resembled a half-plucked turkey. Harry stared at it and the bird looked back with wide sad eyes as it made its gagging sound again. It looked very ill; its eyes were dull and, as Harry watched, a couple more feathers fell out of its tail.

He was just thinking that all he needed was for Dumbledore’s bird to die while he was alone in the officer with it when the bird burst into flames.

Harry yelled in shock and backed away into the desk, a feeling of panic rising in his chest. He looked around feverishly in case there was a glass of water somewhere but the room was bare. The bird, which had become a fireball, gave one loud shriek before becoming a smoldering pile of ash on the floor. Harry’s breaths became short and fast and this only increased when the office door swung open and Dumbledore came in, looking very somber.

“Professor,” Harry gasped out, “your bird… I couldn’t do anything… just caught fire…”

To Harry’s astonishment, Dumbledore smiled.

“About time, too,” he said. “He’s been looking dreadful for days. I’ve been telling him to get a move on.”

He chuckled at the stunned look on Harry’s face. Meanwhile, Harry was still panicking. He knew, in his subconscious, that everything was fine, Dumbledore wasn’t angry. But this was not registering with the rest of his body, and his throat continued to blatantly refuse regular breathing.

“Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry,” Dumbledore said, seemingly oblivious to Harry’s predicament. “Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes. Watch him…”

Harry looked down in time to see a tiny, wrinkled, newborn bird poke its head out of the ashes. It was quite as ugly as the old one.

“It’s a shame you had to see him on a burning day,” Dumbledore said calmly as he sat himself down behind his desk. “He’s really very handsome most of the time, wonderful red and gold plumage. Fascinating creatures, phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers, and they make highly faithful pets.”

Everything Dumbledore was saying sounded like a dull roar to Harry, who still couldn’t hear much over the sound of his breathing.

“-Harry? Harry.”

His own name snapped him back into reality, and he looked over to see Dumbledore watching him with concern.

“Why don’t you have a seat?” he said once he had Harry’s attention and Harry, still shaking slightly, walked over to one of the chairs Dumbledore had said up and sat down. In all of the panic and shock of Fawkes catching fire, Harry had forgotten what he was there for, but it all came back to him as he sat down and was fixed with a penetrating, light-blue stare.

However, before Dumbledore could speak another word, the door of the office burst open with a mighty bang, and Hagrid charged in, a wild look in his eyes, his balaclava perched on the top of his shaggy black hair and the dead rooster swinging from his hand.

“It wasn’ Harry, Professor Dumbledore!” Hagrid announced urgently. “I was talkin’ ter him seconds before that kid was found, he never had time, sir-“

Dumbledore tried to say something but Hagrid went on ranting, waving the rooster around in his agitation and sending feathers everywhere.

“-it can’t’ve bin him; I’ll swear it in front o’ the Ministry o’ Magic if I have to-“

“Hagrid, I-“

“-yeh’ve got the wrong boy, sir, I know Harry never-“

_ “Hagrid!” _ Dumbledore said sharply. “I do not think that Harry attacked those people.”

“Oh,” Hagrid said, the rooster falling limply at his side once more. “Right. I’ll wait outside then, Headmaster.”

And he stomped out, looking embarrassed.

“You d-don’t think it was me, Professor?” Harry repeated hopefully as Dumbledore brushed a few flyaway rooster feathers off his desk.

“No, Harry, I don’t,” Dumbledore said, though his face was somber again. “But I still want to talk to you.”

Harry remained shaky and nervous as Dumbledore considered him, the tips of his long finger together. He almost felt a flicker of irritation. Couldn’t he just say what he was thinking-

“I must ask you, Harry,” Dumbledore said finally, “whether there is anything you’d like to tell me. Anything at all.”

_ Malfoy is an aggressive pureblood supremacist, Snape has been relentlessly bullying me and the rest of my house since my first day here and the talk with Hannah’s dad hardly helped, we have a Polyjuice potion sitting in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom right this very moment, I just found out I’m a Parseltongue and now everyone is avoiding me like I’m the plague, I think I have an attraction to men, my friends and I are the only ones who know there’s a Basilisk in the Chamber, I’ve been hearing a disembodied voice since Halloween, I might be related to a dark wizard, I don’t know why I’m so jealous that my friend has a crush… and I’m only twelve.  _

“No,” Harry said after a moment. He didn’t think Dumbledore was the person to go to with all of his problems. And most of all, he didn’t want Dumbledore thinking him deranged if he found out Harry was hearing voices. “There isn’t anything, Professor.”

Dumbledore looked him over for a few more seconds before lowering his gaze and sighing,

“Very well, Harry… you may go.”

Still shaking slightly, Harry got up and walked to the door. He opened it and jumped when Hagrid was still standing there but he quickly recovered and gave him a friendly smile as he walked past him to take his seat and talk to Dumbledore. Harry closed the door behind himself and took the staircase down. His head still swum with all the things he’d almost said to Dumbledore and he walked back to the common room in his own little world, distanced from the many glances he was getting from his fellow pupils.

When he entered the portrait hole, the Gryffindor common room was buzzing with noise. He looked up and found everyone had quieted down immediately and was staring right at him. Face flushing with embarrassment and anger, Harry looked down at his feet just as Ron, Hannah, and Hermione rushed forward and pushed him up to the boy's dormitory. They reached it and shut the door behind them before turning on Harry.

“What the  _ hell _ happened?”

“Did Justin really get petrified?”

“This is bad, this is so bad, but this proves what I said about-“

Harry let them talk over each other for a few more seconds before he sighed and held his hands up. He explained everything then; from what he’d caught the Hufflepuffs saying to his conversation with Dumbledore.

“Well, it’s a good thing you didn’t tell him anything,” Hannah said as she sat down on Ron’s bed. “We’d all be expelled if he found out about the Polyjuice potion.”

“I guess I understand not wanting to come forward about Snape…” Ron said, brushing the back of his hair up like he was uncomfortable. “Still, would’ve been kind of nice.”

Hermione was staring at Harry with narrowed eyes.

“Are you all right, Prongs?" she asked, posing the one question no one had bothered to voice for quite some time. 

Harry promptly burst into tears.

Immediately his friends ran to him, hugging him and trying to give him some comfort. Harry just sobbed, letting stress and anger rake out of his body as he cried. No one said a word for a while and they stayed huddled around Harry until his breathing calmed down and the tears stopped. 

They broke apart when Neville, Dean, and Seamus came up into the dorm, who all pledged their belief that Harry didn’t do it. He smiled weakly at them as the girls left.

That night Harry slept better than he had in weeks. Perhaps it was the fact that he had finally broken down and had a good cry and practically felt the stress that had been plaguing him finally leave his body. He knew when he woke up and faced everyone at school the situation would be the same but... now he had a brighter look on it all. 

**

The double attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick turned what had first been nervousness into pure panic. Curiously, it was Nearly Headless Nick’s predicament that scared people the most. Students whispered to each other the same string of questions; what could possibly do that to a ghost? What terrible power could harm someone who was already dead? There was almost a stampede to book seats on the Hogwarts Express so that students could go home for Christmas.

“At this rate, we’ll be the only ones left,” Ron told Hermione, Hannah, and Harry. “Us, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. What a jolly holiday it’s going to be.”

Crabbe and Goyle, who always did whatever Draco told them to, had signed up to stay over the holidays as well.

“At least we’ll be leaving early,” Hannah pointed out. Harry smiled to himself at this. He was very excited to spend Christmas with Remus, even if it wasn’t on Christmas day. He felt like he might finally have a  _ real  _ Christmas. Not like his first-ever Christmas at Hogwarts hadn’t been perfect, but he felt like it might feel even better if he was with people who opened presents and ate all together like a real family. Harry had never opened more than one small present on with the Dursley’s and he was lucky if he got any pudding. He was very excited about what Remus might have planned.

But overall Harry was excited about the peace. He was tired of people skirting around him in the corridors as though he was about to sprout fangs or spit poison. He was tired of all the muttering, pointing, and hissing as he passed. More than that he was tired of Ron and Hannah getting into screaming fights with people from other houses in the hallways. He’d told them it was fine that people muttered but neither of them bought it and, thinking his breakdown the previous night was about the bullying, continued to defend him extremely loudly.

Fred and George had quite a different take on the situation. They found it all very funny, and expressed this feeling by going out of their way to march ahead of Harry down the corridors, shouting, “Make way for the Heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through…”

Percy, annoyingly, turned out to be very disapproving of this behavior. Harry didn’t mind it much, he thought it made the people teasing him see for a second how silly they were being. So he wasn’t exactly thrilled when Percy yelled back at Fred and George whenever he saw them in the hallway.

“It’s not a laughing matter,” Percy said coldly one day when Fred and George had been escorting Harry to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

“Oh, get out of the way, Percy,” Fred said. “Harry’s in a hurry.”

“Yeah, he’s off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of tea with his fanged servant,” George snickered.

Ginny also didn’t find it amusing.

“Oh, don’t,” she moaned every time Fred asked Harry loudly who he was planning to attack next or when George pretended to ward Harry off with a large clove of garlic when they met in the hallways.

Harry still didn’t mind and he told his friends this when Hermione asked him if he was okay with it all.

“It’s kind of nice, really,” Harry answered. “At least they think the idea of me being Slytherin’s heir is ridiculous enough to make fun of.”

“They’re not all bad, you know,” Hannah smirked as she stared up at the ceiling. They were in the boy’s dormitory again, as it was too cold to play in their usual spot. Hannah was laying comfortably on Harry’s bed while petting Gizmo, Ron was laying down in his bed, Hermione had taken the floor next to Dean’s bed, and Harry had awkwardly sat down on the floor next to his own bed even though there was room for him by Hannah’s legs. Hannah hadn’t noticed.

“They joke around a lot but they really do care,” Hannah continued. “I heard some Hufflepuff trying to convince them to stay away from you and George almost bit his head off. It was quite funny.”

“You know one person who hasn’t found all of this funny,” Hermione said as she looked up from her book for a split second. “Malfoy.”

“I’ve noticed that too,” Ron said immediately. “He starts pouting every time someone says it’s Prongs.”

“It’s because the pointy git wants all the credit… anything  _ Slytherin _ he practically pisses all over trying to claim,” Hannah snorted. “I mean, I love my house but I’m not  _ that _ obsessed.”

Harry smiled as he looked up at the gold and red-colored sock that was hanging off the bed near his face.

“No, it’s because he’s bursting to say that it’s actually him,” Ron said knowingly. “You know how he hates anyone beating him at anything, and Prongs is getting all the credit for his dirty work.”

“Not for long,” Hermione said in a satisfied tone. “The Polyjuice potion’s nearly ready. We’ll be getting the cold, hard, truth out of him any day now.”

“Wanky,” Hannah mocked. Hermione threw one of Dean’s pillows at her.

**

A few days before the end of term Hannah and Hermione were alone in the library together, studying for the pop quiz Snape was bound to give the day before classes ended. They’d been studying for about two hours before Hermione had read the same line in  _ Magical Drafts and Potions _ for the fifth time. She sighed and rubbed her eyes before closing her book with a soft snap and looking up at Hannah, who had been asleep for the past hour. She reached over and shook her, causing Hannah to wake with a grunt that quickly turned into a yawn. Blinking sleepily as she stretched, Hannah looked up at her friend.

“Whaddu wake me up for? Got another two hours until curfew,” she mumbled sleepily.

“I want to talk to you about something,” Hermione whispered. Hannah already had her eyes closed again.

“I’m not letting you ride Stardust for Christmas, you were mean to them last time-“

“Oh, please, don’t flatter yourself, I told you I’m not getting on that thing,” Hermione snapped. “It’s about your dad.”

This got Hannah’s attention. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up straight, looking rather grumpy and defensive.

“What about him?”

“Well, I’ve just been wondering if he’s feeling any better,” Hermione said. Hannah narrowed her eyes at her.

“I told you, I got a letter from him this morning. He’s feeling alright but we’re still waiting until after Christmas to go visit,” she snapped.

Hermione’s foot bounced nervously under the table.

“But that’s what I’m curious about,” Hermione said. “We could still go now. If he’s already feeling better, he won’t stay sick for another two weeks-“

“Why are you asking so many questions?” Hannah snarled. “He’s sick. This is the third time you’ve asked me about this just… stay out of my business, okay? The boys do.”

“Stay out of your business?” Hermione repeated in disbelief. Hannah was never this rude to her.

“Yeah, stay out of it!” Hannah said, sounding vague like she was convincing herself of something.

“You’re a terrible liar, Padfoot.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know-“

“No, I don’t!”

“All I’m saying is that it’s  _ suspicious,” _ Hermione lowered her voice to hiss across the table. Hannah’s face paled.

“Suspicious?”

“Yes, suspicious. And this story about your dad being sick… you’re a terrible liar. Why can’t you just tell me what’s going on?”

Hannah squirmed in her seat, looking almost on the verge of tears.

“B-because nothing is going on!”

“Bullshit,” Hermione said. “Your dad is covered in scars, you ripped pages out of a library book when I was trying to figure out where they were from-“

Hannah’s lower lip trembled and a tear fell down her cheek.

“-you sit on the window sill once every month all night, thinking I won’t notice. Your dad is sick… supposedly… right now. Even though the full moon isn’t until Christmas day.”

Hannah’s entire demeanor changed. She went from crying and looking like she was being attacked to stiffened in her chair and staring daggers at her friend. If Hermione noticed this she wasn’t fazed by it.

“Yes, I’ve been doing the math,” she carried on. “Oh, honestly did you expect me  _ not _ to find out? You let me take his nickname which is  _ Moony, _ of all things. It’s fine I’m not going to tell anyone I know your dad-“

Quick as a flash, Hannah had Hermione by the arm and was dragging her out of the library, leaving their school things behind. Hermione had expected a reaction like this but still found the tight grip on her arm hard to smile through as they walked by Madam Pince. Hannah remained quiet until they reached what looked like an extended broom cupboard and Hannah pushed Hermione in and shut the door behind them.

_ “Lumos.” _

Hannah’s face was inches away from Hermione’s.

“What the  _ fuck _ are you playing at?” she snarled. Hermione took a few instinctive steps back. She’s expected anger… but not like this.

“Hannah, I’m not going to tell-“

“How am I supposed to know that? How am I supposed to trust you?”

“You can trust me-“

“You went out of your way to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. Did you read  _ anything _ about how werewolves are viewed while you were obsessing over my dad? Do you have  _ any _ idea what would happen to him… to me… if he was discovered?”

“Hannah-“

“No, it’s not like you found out he sells drugs or something, which… I think he might do but that’s not the point… you found out something that people will kill him for. Even more so than him liking guys. People view werewolves as, disgusting, monsters-“

“But I know your dad and I know he’s not like that, Hannah,” Hermione said, trying to calm her friend. Hannah, who was still shaking, looked like she was at least attempting to take a few deep breaths. “I’m not going to tell anyone.”

“Not even the boys,” Hannah said immediately. Hermione was slightly taken aback. Hannah told them everything…

“Of course,” she said when her friend looked in danger of bursting into tears again. “Not even the boys.”

Hannah nodded vaguely and muttered “nox” to put her wand out before opening up the door and stepping out carefully. She was shaking slightly and had to wipe sweat off the palm of her hands and onto her pant-leg as they walked back to the library to get their bags.

She’d been so sure if Hermione found out she would go and tell someone but… it didn’t seem like she was going to. Hannah trusted Hermione to keep it a secret but at the same time, she knew how Remus would react if he was aware Hermione knew. The number one rule of her childhood had been that no one was allowed to know. When she was younger she’d gotten angry at him for it; she hardly got to play with kids her own age, but now she understood.  _ People who care don’t mind their business. _ She’d just have to keep the fact that Hermione knew from Remus…

“Do you really think your dad sells drugs?” Hermione smirked as they walked with their bags up to Gryffindor Tower. Hannah forced a smile.

“There was  _ a lot _ of that weed or whatever George called it in his office. Like… a lot.”

**

Remus was not in the best state of mind for his transformation. He had always been rather glum around the holidays, missing Sirius more than usual since Christmas had been his partner’s favorite time of year. 

The day after Sirius had been placed in Gryffindor, his mother and father had sent him a letter informing him he was not welcome to come home for any of the holidays and saying they “didn’t want to see him unless they absolutely had to”. At first, Remus had felt extremely sympathetic for Sirius. His mother had still been alive at the time and he just couldn’t imagine being spoken to like that by a parent. But then he realized that the boy was actually very pleased. From that moment on, Sirius always looked forward to the holidays and got into the spirit of it all, even if half of the time he was spending them alone since all the other boys went home for Christmas.

Remus had always admired the way Sirius seemed to make every situation cheerful, and he missed him most around the holidays when he almost expected to wake up to the sound of Sirius’ loud singing voice echoing carols around the cottage.

But this Christmas was even worse for him, as his transformation was right on Christmas day and he would not be getting to spend the holidays with his daughter. Hannah was about the only thing that made Christmas bearable for Remus, and he knew that the aftermath of having a transformation around Christmas without her around would be even worse than usual. That had been one of the reasons why Remus had invited Hannah’s friends for a late Christmas. Mainly he wanted to see Harry but he also liked Ron and Hermione quite a bit. Talking to Hermione sometimes felt a little bit like looking in a mirror but… she was still a very nice girl. He was happy that Hannah finally had real friends, as she’d spent so much of her childhood with no one but the Tonks’ dog to play with.

Whether or not it had more to do with Remus wanting to feel like he had a real family around for the holidays to make up for spending the majority alone was no one's business but his. 

He loved the Tonks and he’d be spending it with them as well, but the absence of Lyall was sure to make Hannah upset and maybe she’d feel a bit better if her friends were there with her. It was for both of their sakes, really.

As Remus prepared for his transformation on Christmas Eve, he turned all the photographs of Sirius around on the bookshelf. He could practically hear his voice coming through the framed pictures and it became too much as the moon weighed on his bones and conscience. 

**

The term had finally ended, and a cold, snowy silence spread across the castle with it. Harry found it peaceful rather than gloomy and enjoyed the fact that he, Hermione, Hannah, and the Weasleys had the run of Gryffindor Tower, which meant they could play Exploding Snap and blare music loudly without bothering anyone. Fred, George, and Ginny had chosen to stay at school rather than visit Bill in Egypt with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Percy, who disapproved of what he deemed “childish behavior”, didn’t spend much time in the Gryffindor common room. He had already informed them pompously that he was only staying over Christmas because it was his duty as a prefect to support the teachers during this troubled time. Which was fine by everyone else, as Percy only ever wanted to listen to  _ Journey _ and didn't let them play exploding snap without fire-protectant gloves. 

Harry kept a close eye on Hannah over the holidays, as he had noticed she'd deflated slightly as they got closer. Perhaps it was Hannah wanted to be with her father on Christmas day... but for some reason, Harry didn’t feel like it was… something had definitely happened between Hannah and Hermione. He’d noticed a stiffness in between them, or, at least, Ron had and had pointed it out to him. Hermione was constantly trying to engage Hannah in friendly conversation while Hannah seemed to be giving her the cold shoulder. It was very out of character for Hannah to be short with Hermione and it concerned both boys greatly, but neither said anything out of fear of being shunned by Hannah as well.

Eventually, Christmas morning dawned, cold and white. Harry and Ron, the only ones left in their dormitory, were woken very early by Hermione, who burst in, fully dressed, and carrying a stack of presents for each of them.

“Wake up,” she ordered loudly, pulling back the curtains at the window.

“Moony,” Ron muttered as he shielded his eyes against the light, “you know I can’t hear your "mom" voice this early in the morning. It sets my teeth on edge.”

“Merry Christmas to you, too,” Hermione said as she threw him two presents. “One of those is from Padfoot.”

“Where is she?” Harry mumbled into his pillow.

“Having a lie-in,” Hermione answered stiffly. “But I’ve been up for nearly an hour, adding more lacewings to the potion. It’s ready.”

This got Harry’s full attention and he sat up, suddenly wide awake.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Hermione answered, shifting Scabbers so that she could sit down at the end of Ron’s four-poster. “If we’re going to do it, I say it should be tonight.”

“Oh, Pads got me that Nirvana poster I’ve been wanting-“ Ron said, completely distracted as he stretched it out. At that moment, Hedwig swooped into the room, carrying a very small package in her beak.

“Hello,” Harry said happily as she landed on his bed. “Are you speaking to me again?”

She nibbled his ear in an affectionate sort of way, which was a far better present than the one that she had brought him, which turned out to be from the Dursleys. They had sent Harry a used toothbrush and a note telling him to find out whether he’d be able to stay at Hogwarts for summer vacation, too. But Harry threw them both in the trash bin next to his bed and moved on to the rest of his presents, which turned out to be far more satisfactory.

Hagrid had sent him a large tin of treacle fudge, which Harry decided to soften by the fire before eating, Ron had given him a book called Flying with the Cannons, pages full of interesting facts about his favorite Quidditch team, Hermione had bought him a luxury eagle-feather quill, and Mrs. Weasley had sent him another hand-knitted sweater and a large plum cake. When he read her card he felt a surge of guilt, thinking about Mr. Weasley’s car (which hadn’t been seen since its crash with the Whomping Willow), and the bout of rule-breaking he and Ron were planning next.

These uncomfortable feelings were pushed down when Harry opened his last present from Hannah. A small, plastic R2-D2 fell out of the wrappings and into his hands and Harry beamed at it before placing it next to the Darth Vader figurine he’d gotten from her for his birthday. It seemed that Hannah was creating a pattern. Harry kept smiling to himself and the figurine for several hours later until Hannah finally woke up sometime around noon and was still sending cold energy to Hermione. They kept up a weird back-and-forth, making Harry and Ron equally uncomfortable, until dinner.

But no one, not even two friends with a rift between them or someone who was dreading taking Polyjuice Potion later, could fail to enjoy Christmas dinner at Hogwarts.

The Great Hall looked magnificent. There were a dozen frost-covered Christmas trees and thick streamers of holly and mistletoe crisscrossing the ceiling, along with enchanted snow falling down on them, warm and dry. Dumbledore led them in a few of his favorite carols, Hagrid booming more and more loudly with every goblet of eggnog he consumed, Hannah and George feeding off his energy and getting louder with him even though they’d had nothing to drink. Percy, who hadn’t noticed that Fred had bewitched his prefect badge so that it now read “Pinhead,” kept asking them all what they were sniggering at. Harry didn’t even care that Draco was making loud, snide remarks about his new sweater from the Slytherin table, as Hannah had received one from Mrs. Weasley that had a large letter H embroidered on it as well, and she had informed him happily that “they were matching”.

Either way, with a bit of luck, Draco would be getting his comeuppance in a few hours, and Hermione made sure of this when she ushered her three friends out of the hall before they could get fourth helpings of Christmas pudding. They moved along quietly until they reached Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, where they slipped in and closed the door behind them.

“We still need a bit of the people you’re changing into,” Hermione said matter-of-factly, as though she were sending them to the supermarket for laundry detergent. “And obviously, it’ll be best if you can get something of Crabbe’s and Goyle’s. They’re Malfoy’s best friends, he’ll tell them anything. And we also need to make sure the real Crabbe and Goyle can’t burst in on us while we’re interrogating him.”

Ron and Harry looked dumbstruck while Hannah grinned bemusedly. She’d had the plan repeated to her three times before she’d snuck down to the common room to watch the moon and think about how stupid she’d been to let her closest friend find out. The plan seemed like the only thing she was comfortable talking to Hermione about at the moment, which made her feel rather sad considering how close they were. But at the same time, she couldn’t help feeling a bit angry at Hermione for sticking her nose where it didn’t belong. If only she’d just minded her business… she would’ve never figured it out!

“I’ve got it all worked out,” Hermione was saying smoothly in response to Harry and Ron’s expressions. She held up two plump chocolate cakes. “I’ve filled these with a simple Sleeping Draught. All you have to do is make sure Crabbe and Goyle find them. You know how greedy they are, they’re bound to eat them. Once they’re asleep, pull out a few of their hairs and hide them in a broom closet.”

Harry and Ron looked at each other, astounded. Hannah suppressed a giggle. The broom closet had been her idea.

“Moony, I don’t think-“

“That could go seriously wrong-“

But Hermione had a steely glint in her eye not unlike the one Professor McGonagall sometimes had.

“The potion will be useless without Crabbe and Goyle’s hair,” she said sternly. “You do want to investigate Malfoy, don’t you?”

Hannah stepped on Harry’s foot rather hard, sensing this was going into more personal territory. Harry grimaced in pain and then sighed.

“Oh, all right, all right,” he said. “But what about you two? Whose hair are you ripping out?”

“We’ve already got ours,” Hannah said smoothly as she walked over to stand by Hermione. She pulled a tiny bottle out of her pocket with what looked like a clump of matted hair at the same time Hermione pulled out a bottle with a single hair inside. “Remember that fight I got into with Parkinson during the dueling club? Well-“

“You always go for the hair, don’t you?” Ron said.

“It’s a safe bet,” Hannah replied.

“And I got mine from Millicent Bulstrode when she was trying to strangle me!” Hermione added happily. “She left this on my robes. Both Pansy and Millicent have gone home for Christmas so we’ll just have to tell the Slytherins we’ve decided to come back!”

Harry and Ron forced smiles at their friends' levels of optimism. After a few more minutes of Ron asking questions and Harry looking like he’d been sentenced to death, they split up. Hermione and Hannah were staying in the bathroom to keep the Polyjuice potion ready, so Harry and Ron left to go get the hairs from Crabbe and Goyle.

As they stepped outside the door and closed it behind them, Ron turned to Harry with a gloomy expression.

“Have you ever heard of a plan where so many things could go wrong?”

“Well,” Harry replied. “There was that one time we flew a car to school.”

“Touché.”

Hermione opened the stall to check the Polyjuice potion, and Hannah took her shrunken record player out of her pocket. Hermione immediately poked her head out from the stall.

“Are you c-“ she started, then deflated slightly. “Oh. You figured out how to shrink it further?”

“Wasn’t hard,” Hannah answered stiffly as she pointed her wand at the player and it grew to full size. She took a small record out of her pocket, blew it up to full size as well, and set it on.

“You’re going to listen to music?” Hermione said and Hannah sighed.

“That’s the plan,” she answered coldly as it turned on.

_ ‘Once I had a love and it was a gas _

_ Soon turned out had a heart of glass _

_ Seemed like the real thing, only to find _

_ Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind’ _

The voice echoed around the empty bathroom and Hannah sat down next to it, propping herself up against one of the sinks as she tuned it to a lower volume.

“Could you turn it down a bit more?” Hermione asked sheepishly as she walked over. “I was hoping we could talk.”

Hannah sighed and turned it down a few more notches.

“Talk about what, Hermione?”

“Oh, you know,” Hermione said as she came and sat down next to her. Hannah closed her eyes in exasperation.

“I don’t want to talk about that-“

“But it would be so much better if we did-“

“NO!” Hannah got to her feet and glared at Hermione. “You don’t understand. Just because I trust you… just because I know you won’t tell… doesn’t mean you don’t know!”

Hermione got to her feet slowly.

“Hannah-“

“You don’t understand how serious this is,” Hannah said, her voice cracking. “No one can know. My dad would take you to Dumbledore and ask to have your memory erased if he knew you knew. Because we would lose  _ everything. _ I’d go to foster care; he’d be given to the ministry to run tests on… you don’t understand-“

_ ‘In-between _

_ What I find is pleasing and I'm feeling fine _

_ Love is so confusing, there's no peace of mind _

_ If I fear I'm losing you it's just no good’ _

“I do understand,” Hermione almost whispered. Hannah huffed and started to pace, tears streaking down her face. “No, I promise I do,” Hermione went on. “Look, will you turn that off?” she said, pointing at the record player. Hannah just stared at her so Hermione walked over and turned it off herself.

“Don’t touch my things-“

“Look,” Hermione said, completely ignoring her. “I do understand. I read all about it before I confronted you. I know what people think about him but I know him and I know he’s not like that. And I am not going to tell-“

“I know you’re not going to tell!” Hannah cried. “That doesn’t mean you don’t know! You’re not supposed to know-“

“Just, shut up!” Hermione cried back. “I was going to find out eventually and you know it. You stay up once every month, you think I don’t notice? I’m your best friend Hannah-“

“He would  _ freak out _ if he knew you knew,” Hannah said, getting closer to her friend. “Not like, mad at me, freak out but  _ genuinely _ panic. He’s kept this a secret his entire life.”

“And I know that,” Hermione said. “But I know now and you have someone to talk to-“

“I don’t need anyone to talk to-“

“YES, YOU DO!” Hermione yelled. Hannah took a step back, shocked at her friend's temper. “You do, Hannah. You’re keeping it a secret too. And you stay up, worrying about him, I know you’re worried about… something happening. How long has he had this?”

“Since he was five,” Hannah choked slightly, tears streaming down her face.

“Five?” Hermione repeated, sounding concerned. “But-“

“People that have had it for that long don’t tend to live past ten,” Hannah said dully. “But he has, which is a miracle in itself. Still, the life expectancy for…  _ him _ … ends about five years from now,” she mumbled. Hermione took a step closer and put her hands on both of Hannah’s arms.

“I know,” Hermione said. “I read about it. I just didn’t know he’d had it for so long-”

“Just because you know, doesn’t mean I want to talk about it,” Hannah said, looking up into her friend's eyes. Hermione frowned.

“You need someone to-“

“I can’t. You can’t say a word and I don’t want to talk about it.”

Hermione sighed but nodded her head.

“Okay, we don’t have to talk about it,” she said before steeling herself and pulling Hannah in for a hug. “But if you ever need to, I’m here. I’m never  _ not _ going to be your friend.”

Hannah let a small choking sound escape her as she wrapped her arms back around her friend.

“Are we okay now?” Hermione whispered.

“Yes,” Hannah whispered back. “We’re fine.”

Hannah smiled at her friend as they pulled apart. The rift was gone… but Hannah still felt odd  _ knowing _ that she knew. Plus the thought of Hermione and Remus interacting now that she knew terrified Hannah far more than taking Polyjuice potion and interrogating Slytherins’ heir.

To Harry and Ron’s utter amazement, stage one of the operation had gone just as smoothly as the girls had said. They lurked in the deserted entrance hall after Christmas tea, waiting for Crabbe and Goyle, who had remained alone at the Slytherin table, shoveling down fourth helping of trifle. Harry had perched the chocolate cakes at the end of the banisters. When they spotted Crabbe and Goyle coming out of the Great Hall, Harry and Ron hid quickly behind a suit of armor next to the front door.

“How thick can you get?” Ron whispered in an astounded tone as Crabbe gleefully pointed out the cakes to Goyle and grabbed them. Grinning stupidly, they stuffed the cakes whole into their large mouths. For a moment, both of them chewed greedily, looks of triumph on their faces. Then, without the smallest change of expression, they both fell over backward onto the floor.

The hardest part had to have been hiding them in the closet across the hall. Harry had tried a simple  _ Wingardium leviosa _ but both boys had been too heavy for the spell to carry, so they had to do it all by hand, Ron holding the feet and Harry the shoulders. Once they were safely stowed among the buckets and mops, Harry yanked out a couple of the bristles that covered Goyle’s forehead and Ron pulled out several of Crabbe’s hairs. Then, still stunned from what they’d just done, they sprinted up to Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom and entered. 

“Moony?”

They heard the scrape of the lock and Hermione emerged, shiny-faced, and looking anxious. Behind her, Hannah was stirring the potion with a disgusted look on her face. Four glass tumblers stood ready on the toilet seat.

“Did you get them?” Hermione asked breathlessly as the boys entered the stall. Harry and Ron showed her the hairs and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. 

Looking around the stall, Ron frowned. Both Hannah and Hermione’s eyes were swollen and puffy like they’d been crying, and the tension that had been there before they left seemed to have somewhat disappeared. Ron looked over at Harry to try and share an understanding look like Hermione and Hannah did so frequently, but Harry was obliviously staring at Hannah stirring the potion. Ron rolled his eyes.

“I sneaked these spare robes out of the laundry,” Hermione was saying. She handed both of them small stacks of folded clothes. “You’ll need bigger sizes once you’re Crabbe and Goyle.”

The four of them stared into the cauldron. Close up, the potion looked like thick, dark mud, bubbling sluggishly.

“I’m sure I’ve done everything right,” Hermione said, nervously re-reading the splotched page of  _ Moste Potente Potions. _ “It looks like the book says it should… once we’ve drunk it, we’ll have exactly an hour before we change back into ourselves.”

“Now what?” Ron whispered.

“Now…” Hermione said. “We separate it into four glasses and add the hairs.”

“I wonder what would happen if we mixed all the hairs together,” Hannah said, grinning. “We’d all be one big giant super-Slytherin!”

“Our skin would burn off and we would die,” Hermione answered immediately. “Can’t mix hairs.”

“Lovely,” Hannah said, looking at the potion now with a bit more disdain.

Hermione ladled large dollops of the potion into each of the glasses. Then, her hand trembling, she shook Millicent Bulstrode’s hair out of its bottle and into the first glass. The potion hissed loudly like a boiling kettle and frothed madly before turning a sick sort of yellow.

“Ugh… essence of Millicent Bulstrode,” Ron said, eyeing it with loathing.

“Add yours then,” Hermione said.

Harry dropped Goyle’s hair into the second glass and Ron put Crabbe’s in the third. Both glasses hissed and frothed; Goyle’s turned the khaki color of a booger, Crabbe’s a dark murky brown.

“Well,” Ron said, looking over at Hannah. “Are you waiting for a drumroll?”

Hannah rolled her eyes and picked up the last glass, where she carefully dropped Pansy’s clump of hair. The potion hissed and frothed just like it had done with the others before turning a light shade of lilac. Hannah frowned at it, along with the others.

“Can we trade?” Ron said, looking over Hannah’s glass.

“Absolutely not,” Hannah said and then, for good measure, went to drink the potion right there. Harry grabbed her arm to stop her.

“Hang on,” he said. “We’d better not all drink them in here… once we turn into Crabbe and Goyle we won’t fit.”

“Good thinking,” Ron said, unlocking the door. “We’ll take separate stalls, then.”

Careful not to spill a drop of his Polyjuice Potion, Harry slipped into the middle stall.

“Ready?” he called.

“Ready?” Hermione, Hannah, and Ron’s voices chorused back.

“One… two… three-“

Pinching his nose, Harry drank the potion down in two large gulps. It tasted like overcooked cabbage. Immediately his insides started writhing as though he’d just swallowed live snakes. Doubled up, he wondered whether he was going to be sick. Then a burning sensation spread rapidly from his stomach to the very ends of his finger and toes. Next, bringing him gasping to all fours, came a horrible melting feeling, as the skin all over his body bubbled like hot wax and he watched as his skin tone lightened and his hands began to grow right before his eyes. The fingers thickened, the nails broadened, the knuckles were bulging like bolts. His shoulders stretched painfully and a prickling on his forehead told him that hair was creeping down toward his eyebrows. His robes ripped as he chest expanded like a barrel bursting its hoops… his feet were agony in shoes four sizes too small-

But as suddenly as it had started, everything stopped. Harry lay facedown on the stone-cold floor, catching his breath and trying to slow his heartbeat. With difficulty, he kicked off his shoes and stood up. So this is what it felt like, being Goyle. His large white hand trembling, he pulled off his old robes, which were hanging a foot above his ankles, pulled on the spare ones, and laced up Goyle’s humongous shoes. He reached up to brush his hair out of his eyes and met only the short growth of wiry bristles, low on his forehead. Then he realized his glasses were clouding his eyes because Goyle didn’t need them. He took them off and called, “Are you three okay?” Goyle’s low rasp of a voice issued from his mouth.

“Yeah,” came the deep grunt of Crabbe from his right.

“I’m fine,” Pansy’s shrill voice echoed from further down.

Harry unlocked his door and stepped in front of the cracked mirror. Goyle stared back at him out of dull, deep-set eyes. Harry scratched his ear. So did Goyle.

Ron’s door opened along with Hannah’s. Harry stared in bemusement as Hannah and Ron stepped out into the bathroom, both looking pale and shocked, but indistinguishable from Pansy and Crabbe.

“This is unbelievable,” Ron said, approaching the mirror and prodding Crabbe’s flat nose.  _ “Unbelievable.” _

“She totally wears platforms or something,” Hannah said as she danced around in the mirror. “She’s normally much taller than this.”

“We’d better get going,” Harry said, loosening the watch that was cutting into Goyle’s thick wrist. “We’ve got to find out where the Slytherin common room is.”

Ron, who had been gazing at Harry, said, “You don’t know how bizarre it is to see Goyle  _ thinking.” _ Hannah nodded her head along in agreement as Ron turned and banged on Hermione’s door. “C’mon, we need to go-“

A high-pitched voice answered him.

“I-I don’t think I’m going to come after all. You three go on without me.”

Harry, Ron, and Hannah shared a look of confusion.

“Moony, the potion worked just fine on us, I’m sure no one will recognize you-“

“No… really… I don’t think I’ll come. You three hurry up, you’re wasting time-“

Harry looked at Ron, bewildered.

“That looks more like Goyle,” Ron said. “That’s how he looked every time a teacher asks him a question.”

“I think I’ve seen him make that exact face when dinner disappears from the tables,” Hannah added.

“Hermione, are you okay?” Harry asked through the door. Hannah pushed him aside and pressed her eye to the crack. Her line of vision was covered immediately by Hermione’s hand.

“I’m fine… you guys just go on, you’re wasting time.”

Hannah pulled away from the door and shrugged at the other two. Harry checked his watch. Five of their precious sixty minutes had already passed.

“We’ll meet you back here, all right?” he said. Hermione squeaked her “okay” and three out of the four marauders turned and walked out of the bathroom, checking that the coast was clear before pulling out the map. Hannah stretched it out before them as they walked.

“Now,” she said in Pansy’s voice. “We know that the map doesn’t show the Slytherin dorm’s exact location… but if we can find a Slytherin somewhere and follow them, they’ll lead us to the dorm. It's got to be around the dungeons so we'll head there.”

“Right,” Ron said. They kept walking, Hannah with her head looking down at the map, making sure they didn’t bump into anyone.

“Don’t swing your arms like that,” Harry muttered to Ron.

“Eh?”

“Crabbe holds them sort of stiff…”

“How’s this?”

“Yeah, that’s better…”

They continued down the marble staircase.

Suddenly, Ron gasped and pointed at the map over Hannah’s shoulder.

“There’s somebody!”

Hannah frowned at the dot that was circling the entrance of the dungeons.

“Penelope Clearwater? She’s a Ravenclaw, Wormtail,” Hannah said exasperatedly, sounding more like Pansy than she had been. She tucked the map behind her back as they walked up to the entrance of the dungeons and passed Penelope. Harry, forgetting he was Goyle, gave her a small smile and she scowled at him.

Their footsteps echoed loudly as they hurried down the stone steps and into the darkness. Hannah kept her eyes on the map as they walked, and Harry had to throw out an arm in front of her every now and then to keep her from bumping into things. Then, all of a sudden, Hannah gasped and froze for a split second before grabbing Ron and Harry’s large arms and pulling them into a side room.

“What is it?” Ron hissed as Hannah shut the door behind them.

“Your brother,” Hannah whispered back.

“Fred? But he’s up in the tower smoking with George.”

“No, not Fred,” Hannah hissed.  _ “Percy.”  _

They all quieted down and stayed very still as Percy’s footsteps passed the door. Then Hannah looked down at the map and gasped again.

“There’s Malfoy!” she said, and immediately yanked open the door and stepped out. Thankfully, Percy had already turned a corner and Draco was not yet in their hallway. They closed the side door and Hannah put the map away, trying to look casual as Draco drew nearer.

“Pretend like I said something funny,” she hissed at Harry and Ron. They both gave their best impressions at Crabbe and Goyle’s husky laughs, which helped Draco find their corridor. He turned the corner, a confused expression on his face at the sound of Crabbe and Goyle laughing at a joke that was not his.

“There you are,” he drawled, then froze when he saw Hannah disguised as Pansy. “What are you doing here? Thought your dad wanted you home,” he asked her. Hannah gave a short bark of a laugh in an attempt to steady herself.

“He changed his mind,” Hannah lied smoothly. “I got into a fight with my sister so he let me come back.”

Harry and Ron shared an impressed glance. It sounded convincing.

Draco, however, frowned.

“You don’t have a sister,” he said. Hannah blushed.

“Right… I meant… uh… my dog.”

Draco pondered this for a moment before speaking.

“Bruce bit you again?”

“Yeah,” Hannah said, jumping on this opportunity immediately. “It's all healed up now but I told him I wanted to come back.”

Draco shrugged and turned around, letting the other three take a breath of relief.

“Well, that sucks,” he sympathized. “Probably not the dog's fault though. Just needs better care from your dad.”

Hannah, Harry, and Ron shared a look. So Draco had a soft spot for dogs.

“Er… yeah,” Hannah said as they walked.

“Anyway, I came down here to see if you two were still pigging out in the Great Hall,” Draco said, gesturing to Harry and Ron. “I found something really funny I want to show you.”

Harry and Ron didn’t know what to say so they remained silent. Draco turned his head around a bit to look at Hannah as they walked.

“Why are you all the way back there?” he questioned. Hannah made a small squealing sound and sped up a bit to walk right next to Draco, which made him look more at ease. They walked until he paused by a stretch of bare, damp stone wall.

“What’s the new password again?” he asked Hannah.

“Dunno,” she replied, trying to look calm. Draco frowned for a second and then looked up.

“Oh, yeah,  _ Salazar!” _ he said, and a stone door concealed in the wall slid open. Draco marched through it and Hannah, Ron, and Harry followed behind him.

The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. There was a large window at the end of the room that appeared to be looking directly into the lake. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantlepiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in high-backed chairs.

“Wait here,” Draco said as he motioned them to several empty chairs set back from the fire. “I’ll go and get it… my father’s just sent it to me-“

Wondering what Draco was going to show them, Harry, Hannah, and Ron sat down, trying their best to look at home.

“Is it just me or does he seem closer to… me?” Hannah whispered when they were all seated.

“Dunno,” Harry replied. “Maybe Malfoy and Parkinson are closer than Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.”

“Parkinson’s got half a brain, for starters,” Ron added. Draco came back a minute later, holding what looked like a newspaper clipping. He handed it to Hannah carefully and then sat down.

“That’ll give you a laugh,” he said, sounding pleased with himself. Hannah looked down at the clipping and her eyes widened. It had been cut out of the  _ Daily Prophet, _ and read:

** INQUIRY AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC **

Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, was today fined fifty Galleons for bewitching a Muggle car.

Mr. Lucius Malfoy, a governor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the enchanted car crashed earlier this year, called today for Mr. Weasley’s resignation.

“Weasley has brought the Ministry into disrepute,” Mr. Malfoy told our reporter. “He is clearly unfit to draw up our laws and his ridiculous Muggle Protection Act should be scrapped immediately.”

Mr. Weasley was unavailable for comment, although his wife told reporters to clear off or she’d set the family ghoul on them.

Hannah imitated Pany’s high-pitched laugh then handed the clip to Ron, who gave it a sweeping look than let out a very forced chuckle before handing it to Harry. He read it blankly then handed it back to Draco.

“Well,” Draco said impatiently. “Don’t you think it's funny?”

“Haha,” Harry said bleakly.

“Arthur Weasley loves Muggles so much he should snap his wand in half and go and join them,” Draco said scornfully. “You’d never know the Weasley’s are pureblood, the way they behave.”

Ron’s face was contorted with fury.

“What’s up with you Crabbe?” Draco snapped.

“Stomachache,” Ron grumbled.

“Well, go up to the hospital wing and give all those Mudbloods a kick from me,” Draco said, snickering. Hannah shifted in her seat but swallowed her temper. “You know, I’m surprised the Daily Prophet hasn’t reported all these attacks yet,” he went on thoughtfully. “I suppose Dumbledore’s trying to hush it all up. He’ll be sacked if it doesn’t stop. Father’s always said old Dumbledore’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to this place. He loves Muggle-borns. A decent headmaster would’ve never let slime like that Creevy in.”

Draco started taking pictures with an imaginary camera and did a cruel but accurate impression of Colin.

“Potter, can I have your picture, Potter? Can I have your autograph? Can I lick your shoes, please, Potter?”

Hannah gave a good shot at Pansy’s laugh but Harry and Ron remained silent in disgust. Draco dropped his hands and stared at them.

“What’s the matter with you two?”

Far too late, Harry and Ron forced themselves to laugh, but Draco seemed satisfied. Perhaps Crabbe and Goyle were always slow on the uptake.

“Saint Potter, the Mudbloods’ friend,” Draco said slowly. “He’s another one with no proper wizard feeling, or he wouldn’t go around with that jumped up Granger Mudblood. And people think he’s Slytherins heir!”

Harry, Hannah, and Ron waited with bated breath. Draco was surely seconds away from telling them it was him…

“I  _ wish _ I knew who it is,” Draco said grumpily. “I could help them.”

Ron’s jaw dropped so that Crabbe looked even more clueless than usual and Hannah, who had been leaning forward in her seat, sat back with a disappointed expression. Fortunately, Draco didn’t notice, and Harry, thinking fast, said, “You must have some idea who’s behind it all…”

“You know I haven’t, Goyle, how many times do I have to tell you?” Draco snapped. “And Father won’t tell me anything about the last time the Chamber was opened either. Of course, it was fifty years ago, so it was before his time, but he knows all about it, and he says that it was all kept quiet and it’ll look suspicious if I know too much about it. But I know one thing… last time the Chamber was opened, a Mudblood died.”

Hannah, who had been expecting information she hadn’t already known from her father, scowled at Draco, who seemed to see this as Pansy’s usual expression and didn’t comment on it as he kept talking.

“-So I bet it’s a matter of time before one of them’s killed this time… I hope it’s Granger,” he said with relish.

Ron was clenching Crabbe’s gigantic fists but Hannah and Harry had surprisingly kept their cool. Feeling it would be a bit of a giveaway if Ron punched Draco, Harry shot him a warning look and Hannah spoke up to say, “Hopefully the person doing it now won’t get caught this time,” she said in a very good impression of Pansy.

“My thoughts exactly,” Draco replied. “Maybe it’s like… the person who did it before broke out of Azkaban, and they’re back now to finish.”

“Impossible,” Hannah said icily, feeling the subject change to something a bit too close to home. “No one breaks out of Azkaban.”

“Azkaban?” Harry said, puzzled. Hannah grimaced; she’d told him what Azkaban was once when she’d explained about Sirius. To forget at a time like this…

“Azkaban…  _ the wizard prison, _ Goyle,” Draco said, looking at him in disbelief. “Honestly if you were any slower, you’d be going backward.”

Hannah gave a convincing laugh and Draco smiled at her before shifting restlessly in his chair and going on to say, “Father says to keep my head down and let the Heir of Slytherin get on with it. He says the school needs ridding of all the Mudblood filth, but not to get mixed up in it. Of course, he’s got a lot on his plate at the moment, You know the Ministry of Magic raided our Manor last week?”

Harry tried to force Goyle’s dull face into a look of concern.

“Yeah…” Draco said. “Luckily, they didn’t find much. Father’s got some very valuable Dark Arts stuff. But fortunately, we’ve got out own secret chamber under the drawing-room floor-“

“Ho!” Ron said. 

Draco looked at him and so did Harry and Hannah. Ron blushed and… so did his hair, which was turning back to red. His nose was also slowly lengthening… their hour was up. Harry looked over at Hannah and gaped at her eyes going back to their natural amber and her hair growing and falling back down her shoulders. From the look she was giving him, he was changing too.

The three of them jumped to their feet.

“Medicine for my stomach,” Ron grunted, and without further ado they sprinted the length of the Slytherin common room, hurled themselves at the stone wall, and dashed up the passage, hoping against hope that Draco hadn’t noticed anything. 

Harry could feel his feet slipping around in Goyle’s huge shoes and had to hoist up his robes as he shrank. They crashed up the steps into the dark entrance hall, which was full of a muffled pounding coming from the closet where they’d locked Crabbe and Goyle. Ron and Harry dropped their shoes off outside the closet door and then ran after Hannah, who was sprinting up the marble staircase toward Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. They got inside and shut the door behind them, panting heavily and trying to slow their hearts.

“Well, it wasn’t a complete waste of time,” Ron gasped as they walked out into the center of the tiled room. “I know we still haven’t found out who’s doing the attacks, but I’m going to write to dad tomorrow and tell him to check under the Malfoy’s drawing-room.”

Harry checked his face in the cracked mirror and was pleased to see he was completely back to normal.

“Did you think you were gonna get stuck?” Hannah teased as she walked over next to him and looked in the mirror as well. Harry laughed.

“Maybe a little bit,” he admitted.

“Well, don’t worry,” Hannah said awkwardly. “Still your usual cute self.”

Harry looked over, relatively surprised to see that Hannah was blushing. He was about to speak when-

_ BANG BANG BANG _

Harry and Hannah both jumped and then turned around to see Ron hammering on the door of Hermione’s stall.

“Moony, come out, we’ve got loads to tell you-“

“Go away!” Hermione squeaked. The other three shared a look.

“What’s the matter?” Ron asked. “You must be back to normal by now, we are-“

Moaning Myrtle suddenly came gliding through the stall door, looking happier than they’d ever seen her.

“Oooooooh, wait till you see,” she glowed. “It’s awful-“

They heard the lock slide back and Hermione emerged, sobbing, her robes pulled up over her head. Hannah ran over to her immediately and tried to tug them off, but Hermione held them firmly in place.

“What’s up?” Ron said uncertainly. “Has it not worn off yet?”

Hermione sighed and then let her robes fall. Hannah screamed and pulled away and Ron backed into the sink. Harry just froze, his eyes wide.

Hermione’s face was covered in black fur. Her eyes had turned yellow and there were long, pointed ears poking through her hair.

“It was a c-cat hair!” she cried. “M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the p-potion isn’t supposed to be used for animal transformation!”

“Oh, Merlin,” Hannah whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Uh-oh,” Ron said.

“You’ll be teased something  _ dreadful,” _ Myrtle said happily.

“It’s okay, Hermione,” Harry said quickly. “We’ll take you up to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey never asks too many questions-“

“I-I’m not going out there!” Hermione wailed. Hannah awkwardly put a hand on her shoulder. She looked like she was trying to stay as far away from her face as possible.

“Prongs is right, Moony,” Hannah said steadily. “We’ve got to take you to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey can fix you!”

“What if s-someone sees?!” Hermione whimpered.

“We’ll take the map,” Ron said helpfully. “I’ll hold it and make sure no ones coming.”

After a few comforting pats on the back, Hermione agreed to leave the bathroom with her robes secured above her head again. Harry and Hannah helped steer her in the right direction while Ron held out the map and made sure no one was coming. Moaning Myrtle sped them on their way with a helpful, “Wait till everyone finds out you’ve got a  _ tail _ !” Which only made Hermione cry harder.

They took her to Madam Pomfrey and dodged as many questions as they could while still trying to get their friend help. In the end, Madam Pomfrey waved them off, saying she’d take care of Hermione.

“How long until she’s better?” Hannah asked before the door was shut in her face.

“At least a couple of weeks,” Madam Pomfrey answered. “I’ve no idea what you lot have done to the poor girl-“

And she slammed the door, leaving Hannah, Harry, and Ron out in the hallways by themselves.

“I guess that narrows down who’s coming to Christmas,” Hannah said dully.

“Why is that what you’re thinking about?” Harry snapped.

“N-no reason.”

“I’m staying here, too,” Ron said. Hannah turned to look at him.

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “My whole family is here and… she’ll need someone to check on her.”

“Okay,” Hannah said stiffly. “Guess it's just you and me, then,” she said to Harry, who frowned. Part of him felt like he should be staying with Hermione too… that same part noticed that Hannah was walking like she’d had something heavy lifted off her shoulders. He could see she was worried about Hermione but, something about how she’d immediately thought of how Hermione wouldn’t be coming to Christmas bothered Harry. Perhaps, his heart leaped, Hannah wanted to spend Christmas with  _ just _ Harry. Maybe she and her dad were planning something like… an escape… to take Harry away from the Dursleys. If anyone could do it wouldn’t it be one of his parent’s old friends? Maybe why Hannah didn’t seem so upset was because she had only invited the others as not to seem rude. Remus and Hannah were probably planning to pop the news that he’d be living with them now and with Hermione and Ron around it would’ve felt awkward. Yes, that was it.

So Harry began to look forward to the few days following Christmas even more, excited for when he and Hannah would be using floo powder to go to the Lupin cottage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Heart of Glass by Blondie


	26. Jingle Bell Rock - Holidays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA: I’ve gone back to Chapters 3, 15, and 16 and edited a bit. Not much, just the date of Hannah’s birthday. It’s going to be on July 25th so she’ll be a few days older than Harry but it will all be explained (she was an early baby) and won’t touch the plot at all so you don’t have to go back and read it. All that will be different in what was originally written is the birthday party in chapter 16 will instead be a joint belated party for Hannah and Harry. I just realized the date created a plothole so I have to change it. Not very surprised honestly, I do most of the writing for this fic at 3 am in a caffeine-induced state so it was bound to happen. I do take this fic very seriously but this is a reminder that I am human and this is my first ever fic so I’m definitely going to make mistakes. Feel free to correct me if you ever find any before me. And I’ll always let you guys know if I have to go back and change something.

About three days after Hermione’s incident, after they’d spent a very large amount of time sitting in the hospital wing driving Madam Pomfrey crazy, Harry and Hannah prepared to leave for the Lupin cottage. They were going to be staying for about a week, so Harry packed the two out-of-uniform outfits he’d gotten from the Dursleys, hoping it would be enough and that Remus wouldn’t be bothered by it. They were supposed to meet in Professor McGonagall’s office at exactly eight forty-five in the morning, but Harry had been up since six. He’d made himself wait to pack until the morning time out of fear Remus would still be ill and he’d have to cancel, but once he woke up and had received no last-minute latter, he went straight to packing, throwing all his favorite things in his bookbag since his trunk was far too big for the amount of stuff he had. Along with his clothes, he packed his toothbrush (hopefully Remus would be okay with him using his toothpaste; Harry normally borrowed from Ron), the two Star-Wars figurines Hannah had given him, a bar of soap provided from the school, the small box he used to hold his glasses, and his invisibility cloak in case Remus wanted to see it. He paused at the thought of taking the map, which was tucked away in Ron’s nightstand, but decided against it in the end. It was too much of a risk in case Remus found it. Hannah was very worried about him taking it away.

After sitting nervously on his bed for an hour and a half, his watch ticked to eight twenty, and he grabbed his bag, patted Ron awake to let him know he was leaving, received a grunt in return, and ran down the stairs to wait for Hannah. She showed up about ten minutes later, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. She paused when she looked at him, noticing how awake he seemed.

“How long have you been up?” she questioned.

“Uhm… like thirty minutes,” Harry lied. He didn’t want her to make fun of how excited he was, even though a part of him knew she wouldn’t. Hannah just smiled sleepily and slung her bag over both of her shoulders, as it had been hanging off her left side.

“Ready to go, then?”

“Yup.”

They walked down to Minerva’s office in silence. Hannah was still tired and Harry knew better than to bother her. They passed the Great Hall where the smell of breakfast met them but they continued to walk on. According to the letter Remus had sent Hannah the previous morning, he was going to have breakfast prepared for them when they got there.

They reached Minerva’s office around eight forty and Hannah walked up to knock on the door. A few seconds later Minerva opened it, looking wide awake.

“Good morning, Professor,” Hannah and Harry chorused.

“Good morning,” Minerva responded before stepping aside and letting them walk into her office. When they went to sit down in the wooden seats she held out an arm to stop them.

“There’s no need to wait for eight forty-five, I’m sure Remus is up and ready for you,” she said before directing them over to her fireplace. She let them step in together, since Harry was still not a fan of using floo powder by himself, and gave Hannah a handful of the green powder. They locked arms and Hannah cleared her throat before throwing the powder down into the grate that had small flames flickering under a standing platform, and saying clearly, “The Lupin Cottage.”

They spun around together, bumping elbows and scraping their knees as they traveled through the many tunnels. Just as Harry began to feel sick, they stopped and fell onto a dark green carpet, leaving a puff of black soot as they hit the ground.

Remus grinned happily as he walked over to the two children and helped them off the floor.

“Hello, you two,” he said.

“Hi, Dad,” Hannah replied, giving him a quick hug before pulling away. Harry walked over and embraced Remus, maybe a little bit too enthusiastically, making him stumble back a few paces like he was unsteady on his feet. Harry pulled back, his large smile fading but Remus just laughed.

“Good to see you too,” Remus smirked, reaching a hand up to mess Harry’s hair before straightening up and sighing. “I’ve made pancakes.”

“Nice,” Hannah said in response, throwing her bag on the floor and running over to the dining room. Remus grimaced as he went to pick it up and Harry frowned at him. He didn’t look very well. His complexion seemed drawn out and pale and there was a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. As Remus bent down, the bottom of his shirt rode up a bit and Harry’s eyes widened at the sight of an irritated looking scar on his back. He quickly looked away and backed up a few paces as Remus straightened back up and smiled at him.

“I’ll take your bag,” he said kindly, reaching his hand out. Harry took it off his shoulders and handed it to him, trailing behind him as he limped over to the coat rack and set them down by the door. That was another thing; he was limping.

“A-Are you feeling better?” Harry asked automatically. Remus seemed to be forcing a smile.

“Much, actually,” he said. “I know I still look a little under the weather. I promise I’m not contagious.”

Remus smiled at Harry and then his face fell, looking like he’d just realized something he said. He quickly recovered, putting the smile back on his face.

“I should show you around,” he said calmly, turning and spreading his arms to the living room. “This… er… well this is the living room. You must excuse my hosting abilities; we don’t get a lot of guests.”

Harry grinned as he looked around. The house seemed so... Lupin. There really wasn’t any other word for it.

The room was planned around one giant bookshelf that was pushed up against the far wall, full to the brim with books and moving photographs. In the center shelf sat a small muggle television which Harry was already itching to turn on. On the left side of the room were two comfy chintz armchairs with several blankets and pillows thrown around them and a coffee table staggering with books placed in between the two chairs. On the left side was a large couch that looked like it had not been occupied in some time. Vaguely he wondered if that was Hannah’s place to sit. The whole house smelled of vanilla and pine.

Remus had been watching Harry carefully, wondering if he was going to get close enough to the bookshelf to see the pictures it held, but the boy just continued to look around with his mouth open, as if trying to absorb every aspect of the house.

“Thoughts?” Remus asked Harry, getting him to break his gaping and look up at him with a grin.

“Wicked,” Harry replied. Remus laughed and reached around Harry’s shoulders to pat him on the back and lead him to the kitchen. Harry walked over and took a seat by Hannah, who was already stuffing her face with pancakes.

“Did you hear that, puppy?” Remus said as he sat down. “Our house is wicked.”

Hannah rolled her eyes.

“Don’t teach him new words, he won’t use them right,” she said without looking up from her food.

“Use them  _ correctly _ ,” Remus said. Hannah just gestured with her hand, as if he’d just proved her point. Harry couldn’t stop smiling. He was so excited to  _ really _ be there with them and be in a house for Christmas where he would be allowed to walk around without bothering anyone. He wondered when Remus and Hannah were going to tell him he’d be staying… maybe they’d tell him when they celebrated Christmas. It didn’t seem right for them to say it right now.

“So,” Remus said as Harry poured syrup over his pancakes and Hannah took her third one from the stack placed in front of them. “Explain to me again why Ron and Hermione could not be here?”

Hannah cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. Harry stuffed his mouth with pancakes so he had an excuse not to talk.

“Basically,” Hannah said, “Hermione was feeling a bit under the weather and Pomfrey’s potions weren’t helping so she needed to like… stay in the hospital wing, like… for a while-“ Remus raised an eyebrow and Hannah took another bite of pancakes. “And Ron’s whole family was at Hogwarts for Christmas so he wanted to stay with them and get to check on Hermione.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Remus said first before continuing, “Well I’m sorry to hear Hermione is still not feeling well. Normally Poppy can fix anything, that’s rather concerning.”

Harry continued shoveling his food into his mouth so he didn’t have to speak.

“But I understand,” Remus went on. “Maybe some other time.”

“Definitely,” Hannah said. Remus looked over and frowned at her.

“You’ve grown,” he commented. Hannah looked up and then down at herself then shrugged.

“A bit,” she said.

Harry was now looking over at her too. She had grown, he supposed. It was hard to notice that sort of thing when you saw someone every single day but now that he was thinking about it, she had. She was at Hermione’s height now and you could tell from just looking at the way she sat that she was a good bit taller than she had been. Harry continued to look at her as she and Remus talked back and forth. Her shoulders had broadened a bit compared to the rest of her body as well. She still had a small frame but you should tell from the side that she was athletic from the way her shoulders filled out her shirt, but it still seemed to be part of the way she was built as well. Harry looked down further and his eyes immediately snapped back up.

He didn’t ever look at girl’s chests, he thought it was rude when the other boys in his grade would giggle at Hannah and Hermione when they walked down the hallway. He knew from the way people spoke that they’d filled out a bit but he wasn’t going to be the one to treat them like some kind of zoo animal. He never, never looked unless it was by accident, which he had just done now, and had seen that Hannah had indeed filled out a bit more than he thought.

It was hard to see from where Remus was because of how Hannah was sitting, which is why it came as a surprise to him when he asked her to stand up so he could measure her on the door frame, where they’d marked all of her heights since she was one.

Hannah walked over to him and he realized why she’d been slouching in her seat. He smiled politely, choosing not to comment on it in front of Harry as not to embarrass her. She walked over to the doorframe and straightened her back on it. Remus took a black pen off of the kitchen counter and marked her height.

“That’s what I thought,” he said proudly as he got her to step back from the door and look at the mark that proved she had grown quite a few inches since he last saw her. Hannah beamed with pride.

“Told you I wouldn’t be short forever,” she smirked at Harry as she went to sit back down. He just smiled and shot back that she’d still never be as tall as him, which earned him a smack on the back of the head.

They talked for a while after eating, catching up on everything that had been happening at school. Remus had known about most of the things concerning the Chamber, but he still asked both kids to fill him in with more details. He turned out to be just as stumped as they were about who it could be, but he was pleased to find out that Hermione had discovered the Basilisk was the monster. Harry and Hannah refrained from speculating about Draco, thinking it would lead to only awkward questions.

After breakfast, Remus asked Harry to take his and Hannah’s things upstairs so he could have a word. Harry did, happily, looking around at the pictures that lined the hallway between Remus’ room and Hannah’s. He stopped and looked at all of Hannah’s posters when he got to her room, taking in the brightness of it all. He’d never been allowed to decorate his cupboard or Dudley’s spare bedroom… vaguely he wondered if Remus would let him get some posters when he had his room there.

“I just noticed, and I don’t want you to be embarrassed,” Remus was saying calmly to Hannah downstairs. “Maybe it’s time to start wearing… are they called training bras?”

“Oh my god,” Hannah muttered, a disgusted expression on her face that had turned bright pink.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed-“

“I’m not embarrassed this is just weird!”

“It’s something we should talk about. Look, it’s not any easier on me than it is you, but… your body is changing-“

“I’m going to start crying.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

“I am not!”

“Okay,” Remus said, taking a deep breath. “How about, if you’re uncomfortable talking to me about it, you can talk to Andromeda and Dora when we visit for late Christmas? Does that sound better?”

Hannah paused for a second, pondering this.

“Yeah,” she answered. “Just ‘cause like… no offense, but-“

“I understand,” Remus smiled. “They can help you get… what it is you need. But, when the time comes, we will have to  _ talk.” _

“No, we won’t.”

“Yes, someone will have to tell you… I am your parent-“

“I really don’t think so-“

“I like your room!” Harry interrupted, bouncing down the stairs happily. He froze, backing up a few paces and expecting Remus to shout when he realized they’d been in the middle of a serious conversation. Instead, both of them smiled.

“Thanks,” Hannah said happily. “I think I need more posters, though.”

Harry frowned.

“You have so many-“

“Never too many posters, Pr- er… Harry,” Hannah said, stopping herself before calling him their usual nickname. Remus frowned but didn’t comment on it, and Harry had the brains to change the subject and ask to play quidditch.

And they did, for the rest of the day. Hannah showed Harry Stardust and asked if he wanted to ride but he passed it off as the weather being too cold, even though they were about to fly broomsticks into the air. They got up after a little bit of arguing, Harry practicing seeking by letting Hannah’s spare snitch fly around the backyard while Hannah let a bludger out and practiced beating by keeping it away from Harry. Remus sat out on the porch, shooting warming spells at them and himself when he saw them shiver.

Eventually, it got dark, and Remus pulled them inside for dinner. Hannah ran over to the record player that sat by the dining room table and switched on a Christmas album while they all cooked together. Harry was surprisingly good from all his practice with the Dursleys, which helped things on a great deal.

_ ‘Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock _

_ Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring _

_ Snowin' and blowin' up bushels of fun _

_ Now the jingle hop has begun’ _

They made a pot roast together, Harry and Remus doing most of the heavy lifting while Hannah danced around in the center of the room, trying to entertain Gizmo, who she had sat on the dining room table. Harry felt overwhelmingly happy at that moment, almost so much he felt like crying. This, he thought as he hummed along to Christmas music while Remus showed him how to properly cut carrots and Hannah tried to time dance moves to an old Christmas number, must be what having a real home feels like. He felt totally at peace.

_ ‘What a bright time, it's the right time _

_ To rock the night away _

_ Jingle bell time is a swell time _

_ To go glidin' in a one-horse sleigh’ _

After the roast was done Hannah set the table and they all sat down, Remus spooning the food onto Hannah and Harry’s plates while they waited. They ate with the music turned down so they could hear each other talk and ended up having an amazing dinner as well. Harry told Remus all about the kids at school and how awful they were being and Remus expressed his sympathy, which overall didn’t do much about the situation, but it made Harry happy to know he had an adult who knew and cared. Eventually when they finished, and Hannah was feeding Gizmo bits of food off her plate, Remus decided they should go to bed since they’d woken up so early. They cleaned up together and then Remus walked them up to Hannah’s room.

It hadn’t really occurred to Remus to have Harry sleep in a separate room, but when they drew closer to the room and Remus could see Harry getting visibly uncomfortable at the thought of sleeping in the same bed as Hannah, he realized he probably should’ve. He left them in the room with a quick, “I’ll be right back,” and returned a few moments later with a mattress from the attic. It had been James’ mattress for the short period that he’d lived in the cottage with Remus, Sirius, and Peter before he’d bought himself and Lily a home. Remus would’ve tried for Peter’s old mattress, which had at least been bought sooner than James’, but the week before Peter moved out, Sirius had spilled a great deal of firewhiskey all over it and they’d had to get rid of it. No one had been surprised when Peter had opted to buy himself an apartment alone.

Remus fluffed out the mattress and put some new sheets on it while Hannah showed Harry the more interesting parts of her room. When he finished he wished them both goodnight and stepped out of the room, thinking vaguely that they definitely wouldn’t be going to bed anytime soon. But that was fine, because Remus would be. He thought twelve was a good enough age to not burn anything down while he was sleeping, and either way, he was still exhausted from the moon. So they all went to bed that night, and Remus pretended not to see the bowl of eaten brownie batter that sat in the corner of his daughter’s room when he went to wake them the next morning.

**

Two days later, their late Christmas was upon them. Remus woke the kids up early to get ready for their drive to the Tonks’ which they did, grumpily.

Eventually, they were ready, and Harry wore one of Hannah’s old band t-shirts as he’d run out of clothing but didn’t want to tell Remus about it. They got in the car and drove the hour and a half long drive, Hannah and Harry filling Remus’ eardrums with excessive noise as he drove.

They pulled up into their driveway and walked inside carrying all the food Remus had prepared.

“Well, Merlin, how’s the weather up there?” Ted teased when he saw Hannah’s height change. She beamed at him. “You’ll be able to put the star on the tree yourself this year, you think?”

“Oh definitely,” Hannah grinned as she took the star out of the box and tried to jump up on the tree, immediately knocking it down on top of herself and earning shouts from Remus and doubled up laughter from Harry and Ted. The door to the kitchen opened and Andromeda stepped out, followed by Dora.

“Hello, dear,” Andromeda said, walking over to Harry and giving him a hug. “We’re happy to have you for Christmas this year, you’re so welcome anytime.”

Harry smiled at her, stuttering back his appreciation as Dora bounced over and stuck out her hand.

“Wotcher, Harry,” she beamed. “You look just like I thought you would.”

“Er… thanks,” Harry said.

“He really does look so much like James, Remus,” Andromeda smiled as Harry stood there awkwardly. “I see what you mean.”

“Yes, yes, the boys bloody beautiful,” Ted joked. “I want food.”

“Oh, please,” Andromeda said, rolling her eyes as she playfully slapped him on the chest. Harry grinned around at them all, feeling welcome already. As Remus and Harry were led into the kitchen, Dora walked over to Hannah and grabbed her hand, pulling her over to the side.

“So,” she grinned. “I heard I get to have a  _ lovely _ conversation with you.”

“Sorry,” Hannah blushed.

“Oh, don’t be sorry,” Dora said as she led her up the steps to where her old room used to be. “It happens to the best of us. But your dad talked to my mum and I said I’d handle it. You can try out a few of my old things, and I bought you some new stuff for your size.”

They stepped into her room and Hannah smiled awkwardly at the plastic bag that was lying on Dora’s bed.

“This is all of it,” she said unnecessarily, shutting the door behind them and walking over to the bag. She pulled out what looked like a tight-fitting white tank-top that had been cut short and handed it to her. “Try this on first.”

Dora turned around while Hannah took her shirt off and put it on, sighing when it was too small.

“I don’t understand how they grew so fast,” Hannah grumbled as she took it off and tried a different one from the pile. Dora, still turned around, just laughed.

“Yes, well, they tend to do that. Bloody annoying in my opinion,” she said. “That’s why I just morphed mine off.”

“Completely?” Hannah asked.

“Yes, you perv, completely.”

“I wasn’t asking because of that, you dick, I was asking because people like that sort of thing on girls,” Hannah huffed. “At least that’s what the boys in my grade say.”

“Yeah,” Dora said. “I don’t really care what other people like though. I just know I don’t like them on me so I take them off. Plus, I don’t really consider myself a girl.”

“What do you mean?” Hannah asked as she looked at herself in the mirror with a bra that fit. “This size is good. The 24 b.”

“Cool, there should be three more in that size, take them and I’ll return the rest,” Dora said before continuing, “I just mean I’ve never felt very much like a girl. Like, I know I was born a girl and sometimes I like to dress feminine and feel pretty but for the most part, I just know, I’m not a girl.”

“So… you’re a boy?” Hannah questioned as she took the bras out and put her shirt back on. Dora snorted.

“No, I’m not a boy either. I’m just a person. That’s why I prefer going by Tonks, it just feels more like me than bloody,  _ Nymphadora _ does.”

Hannah sat down on the bed next to Tonks and they turned around, smiling at her.

“So… you just don’t apply to anything?” Hannah asked.

“Nope.”

“But you have to pick one,” Hannah said and Tonks laughed.

“No, I don’t. Gender is a social construct that forces people into boxes every day. I don’t feel like either, so I won’t conform to either,” Tonks explained. When Hannah still looked confused, they smiled before explaining further. “I’ll put it like this; everyone is going to tell you that there are two boxes  _ you _ have the option to go into. And some people fit in those boxes, but some people don’t. There are a million other boxes around them that other people might fit into, but for me… I prefer to stay out of all of the boxes. Because I don’t fit into any of them. So when my friends talk about me, they call me them. You know, ‘they went to the store’ or ‘they’re at work’. Because I don’t fit in any box.”

Tonks finished and Hannah was staring with her mouth open.

“That’s so cool,” Hannah said, a grin spreading across her face. “So… I don’t have to pick if I don’t want to?”

“Nope,” Tonks answered. “But, you’re also twelve and you should take some time to think about it. Exploring and trying things out is perfectly fine but don’t jump the gun, you know. Just because you don’t want boobs,” they teased, poking Hannah in the chest.

“I really don’t want boobs,” Hannah laughed, swatting Tonks’ hand away. “But… everything you said makes sense.”

Tonks smiled.

“Then think about it, you have plenty of time. And I’m glad you let me say something.”

Hannah smiled back.

“Okay. And… I’ll just call you Tonks from now on.”

They beamed at her and Hannah beamed back.

“DINNER!” Andromeda yelled from downstairs, making both of them jump. Tonks rolled their eyes before standing up.

“Just leave the bras up here, you can take them before you go home.”

“Thanks,” Hannah said as she got up to walk out of the door. “You know, you’re lucky you can just choose to take yours off.”

“It’s a gift.”

Their late Christmas dinner was just as good as any other Christmas they’d had, especially for Harry. The energy of laughing and talking happily filled him up with joy and his face almost hurt from smiling too much by the time dessert was ready. Hannah did start to feel a little sad around that point, think about the last time she’d sat in her chair with Helga the dog in between her legs and had the information that Lyall wouldn’t be there for the next Christmas delivered to her, but when she looked over and saw Harry’s happy face and the way he was interacting with her family, she found it hard to be upset.

After dinner they did presents, and Hannah and Harry were both overjoyed to find that Remus had gifted them both with two devices called “Walkman’s”. He said he’d already fixed them so they’d work at school and had gotten Tonks to help him get some songs onto the cassette tapes for both of them. He’d gotten the same two gifts for Ron and Hermione as well, but was going to entrust Hannah and Harry with the task of passing them on to their friends.

After presents, they all said goodbye. Harry told them all how grateful he was that he’d gotten to stay, and Andromeda gushed over how sweet he was while Hannah rolled her eyes. Then the Lupins and Harry piled back up into their car and drove off, letting music hum through the car while Hannah and Harry slept, heads knocking together as they rolled off their seatbelts. When they reached the house, Remus didn’t feel like waking either of them up and as he’d had enough time to regain his strength, he picked both kids up and carried them up the stairs, setting Hannah down in her bed and Harry down on his dad's old mattress before turning off the lights and shutting the door behind him.

**

Hannah and Harry spent the last few days of their week playing quidditch, watching television, and pulling pranks on Remus. But the trip drew to a close and Harry realized the longer he stayed that Hannah and Remus were not going to be inviting him to stay permanently. This sunk in during their last dinner together, where Harry had been so sure Remus would say something. But dinner went on and Remus said nothing, and slowly Harry was forced to come to terms with the fact it had mainly been him wishing.

As he lay in bed later that night, listening to Hannah rant about Hermione and if the hair would be gone by now, he resolved something in his mind, and decided to tell Hannah about what he’d thought was going to happen.

“-was really just wishful thinking,” Remus heard as he stepped out of his bed to get a glass of water, curiosity got the best of him and he inched closer towards the sound of Harry’s voice, his instincts making it almost impossible for him to be heard. “Dunno why I’m telling you this-“ Harry continued.

“No, I get it,” Hannah said. “It makes sense. And I’d be lying if I told you dad hasn’t tried to recuse you from that awful family like a thousand times. Dumbledore won’t go for it.”

Remus froze in the hallway, waiting for Harry’s response.

“Well, that doesn’t make me feel much better,” Harry said.

“I’m sure we’ll figure something out, eventually,” Hannah replied. “I promise you won’t live with them for the next five years.”

“I hope so,” Harry said wistfully. “But… don’t feel like you have to do anything.”

“I don’t,” Hannah answered truthfully. “I just know they don’t treat you right and you belong in a house that does.”

Harry stayed silent and Remus smiled, proud of his daughter for being such a good friend.

“You know you always have a home here,” Hannah continued when Harry remained quiet, “right, Prongs?”

“I know, Padfoot,” Harry responded. “I appreciate you, I’m just tired.”

“Same here,” Hannah sighed. “I think we should probably go to bed, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Goodnight, then.”

“Goodnight.”

And neither of them spoke another word. Remus stood, frozen in the hallway, trying to process what he’d just heard.

It was clear that… somehow… Hannah and Harry had found out about the names and adopted them as their own nicknames. Whether they knew who Prongs and Padfoot had been was unknown… it could just be a coincidence.

Remus walked back to his room and threw himself down on his bed after a few more minutes of standing there silently.

Perhaps they’d found the map. As far as Remus knew, there was nothing else with the Marauders' old nicknames written on it around the school except the map that had been confiscated from their group by Filch in seventh year. Perhaps… somehow… they had stumbled across it… opened it… and grew to love it so much they took up the nicknames. But it seemed so farfetched… how could this happen… and to chose  _ those _ particular nicknames…

Remus rubbed his eyes hard with the palm of his hands, hoping to wake up and find he had been dreaming. When he opened his eyes and saw nothing but blurry spots, he gave a dry sob before burying his head in his pillow. It hurt to hear them use those names for each other. Remus had no idea how it had happened but the wording and the delivery had all been so… James and Sirius. Remus spent so much time not making that comparison and now it had been made for him.

He kept his head buried in the pillow until he fell asleep, determinedly trying not to think about what he’d heard.

The next morning, Remus woke up Hannah and Harry and made them breakfast, all the while not saying a word about what he’d overheard the night before because, after all, he’d been eavesdropping and… most importantly… too tired to have heard it right!

He got them fed and ready to go, sending them back to Hogwarts with hugs and Ron and Hermione’s wrapped Christmas presents. As he watched them disappear in the green flame of his fireplace, the smile slipped off his face. Remus knew exactly what he heard the night before. He just wished he hadn’t heard it. If they had the map then, that was fine. Maybe one of the biggest coincidences of all time and something he knew James and Sirius would be crying tears of joy over but, it was still fine. It was explainable. What didn’t feel explainable to Remus was the fact that they’d chosen those names to carry on. He just hoped against hope it was another coincidence, and that his daughter didn’t know who was behind the name she’d chosen for herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms  
> A/N: for those of you who don't know, I am nonbinary and I use they/them :) it's important to me that I get to characterize one of my favorite characters as a nonbinary person and that my OC is nonbinary later on as well. For now, Hannah will be using she/her pronouns because she still views herself that way, but later on, once more things start to happen, she'll come to realize that she is nonbinary. I also hope my personal description of what it feels like to be nb from Tonks' POV didn't upset anyone, I know we all have different ways of coming to realize and describing ourselves.


	27. Dreams - Year Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the Chamber of Secrets   
> flashbacks are in bold   
> CW for very brief internalized homophobia around the beginning and violence in the flashback  
> also the flashback is a bit of a bummer so don't read if you're already feeling sad

Hannah and Harry visited the hospital wing the second they got back, giving Ron and Hermione their presents from Remus, which they liked very much. Hermione was still very furry, which was rather disconcerting but she didn’t seem to mind it that much when she’d casually told Hannah about how Ron had spent pretty much every waking moment up in the hospital wing with her. Hannah had grinned but decided not to tease at this, figuring Hermione had enough on her plate as it was.

The rest of the school arrived back from their Christmas holidays the next day, and there was a flurry of rumor about her disappearance when term started back, because of course, everyone thought she had been petrified as well. Hannah, Harry, and Ron did their best to disperse these rumors but many students still filed past the hospital wing trying to catch a glimpse of her. Madam Pomfrey was forced to put curtains around Hermione’s bed again, to save her the shame of being seen with a fur-covered face.

The other three marauders brought her each day’s homework after their class periods.

“If I sprouted whiskers, I’d take a break from work,” Ron said, tipping a stack of books onto Hermione’s bedside table one evening.

“Don’t be silly, Wormtail, I’ve got to keep up,” Hermione said briskly. Her spirits had been greatly improved by the fact that all the hair had gone from her face and her eyes were turning slowly back to brown.

“I don’t suppose you’ve got any new leads?” she added in a whisper so that Madam Pomfrey couldn’t hear her.

“Nothing,” Harry said gloomily.

“Haven’t had that much time to spend on it, to be perfectly honest,” Hannah admitted, looking up at Hermione. The tension that had been between them the few days before Hannah and Harry had left for the Lupin cottage was now completely gone, which everyone was grateful for. Hannah still got upset sometimes when she thought about how Hermione knew but she did appreciate the fact that she would’ve found out sooner or later. She still wasn’t keen on her friend being around Remus but she did trust her with the information wholeheartedly.

“I was so sure it was Malfoy,” Ron said for about the hundredth time.

“What’s that?” Harry asked, pointing to something gold sticking out from under Hermione’s pillow.

“Just a get well card,” Hermione said hastily, trying to poke it out of sight, but Ron was too quick for her. He pulled it out, flicked it open, and read aloud:

_ “To Miss Granger, wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of _ Witch Weekly’s  _ Most Charming Smile Award.”  _

Ron looked up at Hermione, disgusted.

“You sleep with this under your  _ pillow?” _

“Okay,” Hannah said, reaching across the bed and snatching the letter from Ron to give it back to Hermione while Harry collapsed in giggles. “That’s enough.” 

“Thank you, Padfoot,” Hermione said stiffly. “And I do  _ not _ sleep with it under my pillow,  _ Ronald. _ It… fell there.”

“Of course it did, Moony,” Hannah said, grinning.

“Yeah, whatever you say,” Ron smirked.

Hermione was spared a response by Madam Pomfrey sweeping over and kicking them out for her evening dose of medicine.

“Is Lockhart the smarmiest bloke you’ve ever met, or what?” Ron said to Hannah and Harry as they left the infirmary and started up the stairs toward Gryffindor Tower. Hannah chuckled but Harry didn’t say anything. Ever since the Dueling Club, his conflicted feelings about Lockhart had pretty much disappeared. He still thought he was attractive but at the same time whenever he was near him he felt like vomiting. It was a relief, almost, Harry thought. Maybe he didn’t like guys after all.

Harry’s thoughts were interrupted by an angry outburst from the floor above them reaching their ears.

“That’s Filch,” Harry muttered as they hurried up the stairs and paused, out of sight, listening hard.

“You don’t think someone else’s been attacked?” Ron said tensely.

“I hope not,” Hannah muttered. They stood still, their head inclined toward Filch’s voice, which sounded quite hysterical.

_ “-even more work for me! Mopping all night, like I haven’t got enough to do! No, this is the final straw, I’m going to Dumbledore-“ _

His footsteps receded along the out-of-sight corridor and they heard a distant door slam. They poked their heads around the corner when they were sure he was gone.

Filch had clearly been manning his usual lookout post: They were once again on the spot where Mrs. Norris had been attacked. They saw at a glance what Filch had been shouting about. A great flood of water stretched over half the corridor, and it looked as though it was still seeping from under the door of Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. Now that Filch had stopped shouting, they could hear Myrtle’s wails echoing off the bathroom walls.

_ “Now _ what’s up with her?” Ron said.

“Probably some bully picking on her,” Hannah scowled.

“Let’s go and see,” Harry said, and holding their robes above their ankles they stepped through the great wash of water to the door bearing its OUT OF ORDER sign, ignored it as always, and entered.

Moaning Myrtle was crying louder and harder than they’d ever seen her cry before. She seemed to be hiding down in her usual toilet. It was dark in the bathroom due to the candles had being extinguished in the great rush of water that had left both the walls and floor soaking wet.

“Are you all right?” Hannah asked Myrtle as they approached.

“Who’s that?” Myrtle grumbled miserably. “Come to throw something else at me?”

Harry waded across to her stall, Ron and Hannah following behind, and said, “Why would we throw something at you?”

“Don’t ask me,” Myrtle shouted, emerging with a wave of water, which splashed onto the already sopping wet floor. “Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it’s funny to throw a book at me…”

“But it can’t hurt if someone throws something at you,” Harry said, reasonably. “I mean, it’d just go right through you, wouldn’t it?”

Hannah grimaced. He had said the wrong thing. Myrtle puffed herself up and shrieked, “Let’s all throw books at Myrtle because she can’t feel it! Ten points if you can get it through her stomach! Fifty points if it goes through her head! Well, ha, ha, ha! What a lovely game, I don’t think!”

“Sorry Myrtle,” Hannah took over, stepping up to where Harry was. “He didn’t mean it like that,” and, to change the subject, she added, “Who threw it at you, anyway?”

“I don’t know… I was just sitting in the U-bend, thinking about death, and it fell right through the top of my head,” Myrtle said, glaring at them. “It’s over there, it got washed out…”

Harry, Ron, and Hannah looked under the sink where Myrtle was pointing. A small, thin book lay there. It had a shabby black cover and was as wet as everything else in the bathroom. Harry stepped forward to pick it up, but Ron suddenly flung out an arm to hold him back.

“What?” Harry said.

“Are you crazy?” Ron said. “It could be dangerous.”

“Dangerous?” Harry laughed. “Come off it, how could it be dangerous?”

“You’d be surprised,” Ron said, looking apprehensively at the book. “Some of the books the Ministry’s confiscated… Dad’s told me… there was one that burned your eyes out. And everyone who read Sonnets of a Sorcerer spoke in limericks for the rest of their lives. And some old witch in Bath had a book that you could never stop reading! You just had to wander around with your nose in it, trying to do everything one-handed. And-“

“Oh, don’t be such a downer, Wormtail,” Hannah smirked. “You did the same thing with the map and that turned out fine.”

“We got lucky,” Ron insisted. “We have no idea what’s in this,” he said, gesturing to the little book that lay on the floor, nondescript and soggy. Hannah and Harry shared a look.

“Well, we won’t find out unless we look at it,” Harry said, and he ducked around Ron and dived to the floor while Hannah grabbed Ron around his middle and planted her feet to keep him still. He shook her off in a matter of seconds, but Harry had already picked the book up off of the ground and was examining it. He saw at once that it was a diary, and the faded year on the cover told him it was fifty years old. He opened it eagerly and on the first page he could just make out the name “T. M. Riddle” in smudged ink.

“Hang on,” Ron said, looking over Harry’s shoulder cautiously. “I know that name… T. M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago.”

Hannah scoffed and Harry said, “How on earth d’you know that?”

“Because Filch made me polish his shield about fifty times in detention,” Ron said resentfully. “That was the one I burped slugs all over. If you’d wiped slime off a name for an hour, you’d remember it too.”

Hannah snorted and Ron glared at her.

“Sorry,” she covered up, feigning mournfulness. “Terrible thing… those slugs…”

Harry pulled the wet pages apart as Ron bumped Hannah with his shoulder. They were completely blank, he noticed as Hannah punched Ron back in the gut. There wasn’t the faintest trace of writing on any of them, not even a list of birthdays or dentists' appointments.

“He never wrote in it!” Harry said, disappointed. Hannah and Ron broke out of their playfight to look over at the diary.

“I wonder why someone wanted to flush it away?” Ron said curiously. Harry turned to the back cover of the book and saw the printed name of a variety store on Vauxhall Road, London.

“He must have been Muggle-born,” Harry said thoughtfully. “To have bought a diary from Vauxhall Road…”

“Well, it’s not much use to you,” Ron said.

“Keep it, Prongs,” Hannah piped up. “You can write down your feelings.”

“Shut up,” Harry replied.

“No, I’m serious,” Hannah said earnestly. “People have to get that shit out, otherwise they explode. You know, they should really have a guidance counselor here at Hogwarts… the number of kids with pent up issues-“

As Hannah ranted, Harry pocketed the diary. With absolutely no intention of writing down feelings, of course.

**

Hermione left the hospital wing, de-whiskered, tail-less, and fur-free, at the beginning of February. On her first evening back in Gryffindor Tower, Harry showed her T. M. Riddle’s diary and told her the story of how they had found it.

“Ooh, it might have hidden powers, like the map!” Hermione said enthusiastically, taking the diary and looking at it closely.

“If it has, it’s hiding them very well,” Ron said. “Maybe it’s shy. I don’t know why you don’t chuck it, Prongs.”

“I wish I knew why someone  _ did _ try to chuck it,” Harry said. “I wouldn’t mind knowing how Riddle got an award for special services to Hogwarts, either.”

“Could’ve been anything,” Ron said. “Maybe he got thirty O.W.L.s or saved a teacher from the giant squid.”

“Or…” Hannah said, sharing a look with Hermione. “Fifty years ago he caught the person who opened the Chamber.”

“What are you on about?” Ron said, looking confused.

“Well, the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago,” Harry explained. “That’s what Pads’ Dad and Malfoy said.”

“I feel like one of those sources is more reliable than the other,” Hannah grinned. Harry kicked her foot with his, then turned back to Ron to see if he’d gotten it yet.

“Yeah…” Ron said slowly.

“And this diary is fifty years old,” Hermione said, tapping it excitedly.

“So?”

“Oh, Ron, wake up,” Hermione snapped. “We know the person who opened the Chamber last time was expelled  _ fifty years ago. _ We know T. M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school  _ fifty years ago. _ Well, what if Riddle got his special award for  _ catching the Heir of Slytherin? _ His diary would probably tell us everything… where the Chamber is and how to open it… the person who’s behind the attacks this time wouldn’t want that lying around, would they?”

“That’s a  _ brilliant _ theory, Moony,” Ron said, “with just one tiny flaw.  _ There’s nothing written in his diary.” _

But Hermione was already pulling her wand out of her bag.

“It might be invisible ink!” she whispered. She tapped the diary three times and said,  _ “Aparecium!” _

Nothing happened. Undaunted, Hermione shoved her hand back into her bag and pulled out what appeared to be a bright red eraser.

“It’s a Revealer, I got it in Diagon Alley,” she explained quickly before rubbing hard on  _ January first. _ Nothing happened.

“I’m telling you, there’s nothing to find in there,” Ron said. “Riddle just got a diary for Christmas and couldn’t be bothered filling it in.”

Even though the diary was seemingly useless, Harry kept it. He couldn’t really explain why he did so, it wasn’t like he was writing in it. Still, even though he knew it was blank, he kept absentmindedly picking it up and turning the pages, as though it were a story he wanted to finish. And while Harry was sure he had never seen the name T. M. Riddle, it seemed to mean something to him, almost as though Riddle was a friend he’d had when he was very small, and had half-forgotten. But the thought was absurd. He’d never had friends before Hogwarts, Dudley had made sure of that.

But Harry was still intrigued. He even went as far as to drag his friends down to the trophy room to have a look at it, Hermione interested, Hannah looking haughty and bored, and Ron grumpy, complaining all the way that he’d had enough of the trophy room for a lifetime.

Riddle’s trophy didn’t have much information on it, but they did find his name on an old Medal for Magical Merit, and on a list of old Head Boys.

“Seems like a pleasant dude,” Hannah snorted.

“Sounds like Percy,” Ron added. “Prefect, Head Boy… probably top of every class-“

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Hermione said in a hurt voice.

“Oh, don’t worry, Moony, everything sucks until you do it, then it’s great,” Hannah said, slinging her arm around her friend as they walked back up to the tower.

**

The sun had now begun to shine weakly on Hogwarts again. Inside the castle, the mood also seemed to be a bit brighter. There had been no more attacks since those on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, and Madam Pomfrey was pleased to report that the Mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning that they were fast leaving childhood.

Harry was hopeful enough to think that maybe the Heir of Slytherin had lost their nerve. He, at least, found it easier to ignore Ernie Macmillan, who was still convinced that Harry had “revealed” himself at the Dueling Club, and Peeves, who still sang renditions of “Oh, Potter, you rotter…” whenever Harry was around.

His spirits were lifted even further when he overheard a conversation between Lockhart and McGonagall, and found that Lockhart was still so overwhelmingly disgusting to Harry that he simply did not find him attractive at all anymore.

“I don’t think there’ll be any more trouble, Minerva,” Lockhart had said, tapping his nose knowingly and winking. “I think the Chamber has been locked for good this time. The culprit must have known it was only a matter of time before I caught him. Rather sensible to stop now, before I came down hard on him. You know, what the school needs now is a morale-booster. Wash away the memories of last term! I won’t say any more just now, but I think I know just the thing…”

Harry had grimaced and just kept walking, unbeknownst to how horrid Lockhart’s morale booster was going to be. It became clear at breakfast on February fourteenth. Both Hannah and Harry hadn’t gotten much sleep because of the late-running Quidditch practice the night before, so when they entered the doors to the Great Hall, slightly late, they thought for a second that they were in the wrong room.

The walls were all covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Worse still, heart-shaped confetti was falling from the pale blue ceiling. Harry and Hannah cautiously walked over to the Gryffindor table, where Ron was sitting looking sicked, and Hermione seemed to have been overcome with giggles.

“It’s like an assault on my eyes,” Hannah complained as she sat down.

“What’s going on?” Harry asked as he swept confetti off his bacon. Ron just pointed to the teachers’ table, apparently too disgusted to speak. Lockhart, wearing lurid pink robes to match the decorations, was waving for silence. The teachers on either side of him were looking very stony-faced. From where they sat, the marauders could see a muscle going in Minerva’s cheek, and Snape looked as though someone had just force-fed him one of Ron’s slugs.

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” Lockhart shouted. “And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all… and it doesn’t end here!”

Lockhart clapped his hands and through the doors to the entrance hall marched a dozen surly-looking dwarfs. Not just any dwarfs, however. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps.

“My friendly, card-carrying cupids!” Lockhart beamed. “They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! They can be musical if you’re creative enough, or just a lovely hand-written note. And the fun doesn’t stop here! I’m sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion?”

Hannah snorted into her orange juice and Harry had to thump her on the back. Snape was glaring around the room, looking like the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison.

“And while you’re at it,” Lockhart continued. “Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I’ve ever met, the sly old dog!”

Professor Flitwick buried his face in his hands. Hermione did the same, only she was hiding giggles.

Hannah turned around to Harry, getting very close to him to whisper, “We’re getting Wormtail one,” in his ear.

“What?” Harry whispered back. Hannah grinned at him. He was hyper-aware of how close she was to his face, but Hannah didn’t seem to notice.

“Let’s write Ron a musical one,” Hannah said. “Like a  _ prank. _ It’ll be funny.”

Harry grinned back.

“Yeah, all right,” he said.

“What are you two whispering about?” Ron asked, breaking Hannah and Harry away from each other.

“Nothing,” they said in unison. Ron looked suspicious then shrugged it off, choosing to turn to Hermione.

“Please, Moony, please tell me you weren’t one of the forty-six,” he said with a grin. Hermione suddenly became very interested in her cereal and didn’t answer. Hannah and Harry burst into giggles.

All day long, the dwarfs kept barging into their classes to deliver valentines, very much to the annoyance of the other teachers. Hannah and Harry worked on their song for Ron all throughout classes, getting it confiscated once by Minerva, who held them up after the bell rang to scold them and ask them not to abuse the Valentine “privileges”. It was clear that calling them privileges almost physically pained Minerva, and also clear that she was holding back a grin. So Harry and Hannah finished it anyway and gave it to one of the dwarfs they passed in the hallway with specific instructions to deliver it to Ron in the common room after classes. They knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t find it funny if it was in front of too many people.

However, late afternoon as the Gryffindors were walking upstairs for Charms, there was a minor setback.

“Oy, you! ‘Arry Potter!”

One of the dwarfs had caught up with Harry. He was coming toward the marauders, elbowing people out of the way to get to Harry. Hermione’s face flinched in sympathy while Hannah and Ron’s broke out into grins as Harry, hot all over the thought of being given a valentine in front of a line of first years, which happened to include Ginny Weasley, tried to escape. The dwarf had other plans, though. He cut his way through the crowd by kicking people’s shins, and reached him before he’d gone two paces.

“I’ve got a musical message to deliver to ‘Arry Potter in person,” he said, twanging his harp in a threatening sort of way.

“Not here,” Harry hissed, trying to escape.

“Stay still!” the dwarf grunted, grabbing hold of Harry’s bag and pulling him back.

“Let me go!’ Harry snarled, tugging on the bag. With a loud ripping noise, his bag split in two. His books, wand, parchment, and quill spilled onto the floor and his ink bottle smashed over everything.

Harry scrambled around, trying to pick it all up before the dwarf started singing, causing something of a holdup in the corridor. Hermione, Ron, and Hannah dropped to their knees as well, trying to help Harry get everything back in his bag, but it was too late.

“What’s going on here?” came the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy. Harry started stuffing his bag even faster, desperate to get away before Draco could hear his musical valentine.

“What’s all this commotion?” Percy Weasley’s voice rang throughout the hall. Losing his head, Harry tried to make a run for it, but the dwarf seized him around the knees and brought him crashing to the floor. There was nothing the other marauders could do. They’d been strictly forbidden from touching any of the dwarfs, a rule that had been instated by Minerva when Fred and George had tried to carry one around on their shoulders, at the dwarfs’ request.

“Right,” the dwarf said, sitting on Harry’s ankles. “Here is your singing valentine;

_ His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,  _

_ His hair as dark as a blackboard.  _

_ I wish he was mine, he’s really divine,  _

_ The hero who conquered the Dark Lord.”  _

Harry would have given all the gold in Gringotts to evaporate on the spot. Trying valiantly to laugh along with everyone else, he took Ron’s helping hand and stood, his feet numb from the weight of the dwarf. Percy Weasley did his best to disperse the crowd, some of whom were crying with mirth.

“Off you go, off you go, the bell rang five minutes ago, off to class, now,” he said, shooing some of the younger students away. Suddenly, Hannah shot forward to where Draco was reaching and snatched something off the ground, pressing it to her chest as she went to stand next to Harry. Draco scowled at her and she rolled her eyes. 

Mostly everyone was heading back to their classes now, including Ginny. But she froze when she saw Hannah casually hand Harry the diary that she’d snatched off the ground away from Draco. Hannah, noticing Ginny staring at her like she was horrified, gave her a small smile that Ginny did not return. She instead looked at the diary, then at Harry, then back at the diary, before running into her class. Hannah thought it was odd but said nothing as they walked to Charms.

“That wasn’t you, was it?” Harry hissed in Hannah’s ear as they walked. She just laughed.

“When would I have had the time to do that?” she questioned. “Plus, mine wouldn’t be that sappy.”

Harry blushed again, realizing that he had basically been asking if she fancied him. He didn’t know why the thought made him feel so hot but it did, and he remained silent for the rest of their walk.

It wasn’t until they had reached Professor Flitwick’s class that Harry noticed something rather off about Riddle’s diary. All his other books were drenched in scarlet ink. The diary, however, was as clean as it had been before the ink bottle had smashed all over it. He tried to point this out to Ron, but Ron was having trouble with his wand again; large purple bubbles were uncontrollably blossoming out of the end, and he wasn’t much interested in anything else. And Hermione and Hannah were on the opposite side of the room, due to the new seating chart.

Harry placed his chin on his hand as Ron banged his wand repeatedly on the desk. He stared over at Hannah and Hermione, who were competing to see who could make the biggest singular bubble with their wand, which was the days’ assignment. Hannah got it first and she cheered for herself, grinning and bouncing up and down as Hermione rolled her eyes. Harry grinned with her; he couldn’t help it, her laugh always made him laugh.

She looked up at him and smiled wider, mouthing an “I beat Moony!” as Harry blushed at the fact she’d caught him looking.

After dinner that night, they all made their way back up to the common room, Harry and Hannah more excited than the other two, as they knew what was to come. The four marauders took their regular seats by the fireplace and Ron took out his chessboard for them to play. They got through half of one game before a dwarf came crawling through the portrait hole. Apparently, the guardian of the door was required to let the dwarfs in.

“Ronald Wezzley,” the dwarf called out, and Ron froze mid-sentence and looked up, horrified. “I’ve got a musical valentine for Ronald Wezzley!”

Ron seemed to be trying to sink into his seat, so Fred, who was over by their side of the room, called out, “He’s here!” and pointed at Ron. 

The dwarf nodded and walked over to Ron as Ron looked up at Hannah and Harry, who were both hiding grins. He shook his head in disbelief as the dwarf reached him and cleared his throat. Hannah looked over at Hermione and was pleased to see she was already suppressing giggles.

“Here is your musical valentine,” the dwarf announced before breaking out into song and saying,

_ “Oh, there is a boy named Ronald,  _

_ Who has no one smitten but me.  _

_ His ass fills out his khakis so nicely, _

_ Oh, how I’d love to take him out for tea.  _

_ He swears his rat doesn’t have a disease,  _

_ But how else would you explain those skinny little knees?  _

_ Oh, Ronnie, my darling, how I love you so,  _

_ But try going outside every now and then, you’re as white as snow!” _

The common room exploded with laughter and Ron rolled his eyes, a grin spreading across his face as the dwarf bowed and took his leave. He looked up at Hannah and Harry and smirked.

“I’m gonna bloody kill you two,” he grinned. Hannah and Harry just laughed.

That night, Harry went up to bed before anyone else in his dorm. Partly because he’d grown anxious at all the noise and renditions of the song and needed to be alone, and partly because he wanted to examine Riddle’s diary, and knew that Ron thought he was wasting his time.

Harry sat on his four-poster and flicked through the blank pages, not one of which had a trace of scarlet ink on it. He pulled a new bottle out of his bedside cabinet, dipped his quill into it, and dropped a blot onto the first page of the diary.

The ink shone brightly on the paper for a second and then, as though it was being sucked into the page, vanished. Excited, Harry loaded up his quill a second time and wrote,  _ “My name is Harry Potter.”  _

The words shone momentarily on the page and then they too sank without a trace. Then, at last, something happened. Oozing back out of the page, in his very own ink, came words Harry had never written.

_ “Hello, Harry Potter. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you come by my diary?”  _

These words faded as well but not before Harry had started to scribble back,  _ “Someone tried to flush it down a toilet.”  _

He waited eagerly for Riddle’s reply.

_ “Lucky that I recorded my memories in some more lasting way than ink. But I always knew that there would be those who would not want this diary read.” _

_ “What do you mean?” _ Harry scrawled.

_ “I mean that this diary holds memories of terrible things. Things that were covered up. Things that happened at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”  _

_ “That’s where I am now,” _ Harry wrote quickly.  _ “I’m at Hogwarts, and horrible stuff’s been happening. Do you know anything about the Chamber of Secrets?”  _

His heart was hammering. Riddle’s reply came quickly, his writing becoming untidier, as though he was hurrying to tell all he knew.

_ “Of course I know about the Chamber of Secrets. In my day, they told us it was a legend, that it did not exist. But this was a lie. In my fifth year, the Chamber was opened and the monster attacked several students, finally killing one. I caught the person who’d opened the Chamber and he was expelled. But the Headmaster, Professor Dippet, ashamed that such a thing happened at Hogwarts, forbade me to tell the truth. A story was given out that the girl had died in a freak accident. They gave me a nice, shiny engraved trophy for my trouble and warned me to keep my mouth shut. But I knew that it could happen again. The monster lived on, and the one who had the power to release it was not imprisoned.”  _

Harry nearly upset his ink bottle in his hurry to write back.

_ “It’s happening again now. There have been three attacks and no one seems to know who’s behind them. Who was it last time?”  _

_ “I can show you if you like,” _ came Riddle’s reply.  _ “You don’t have to take my word for it. I can take you inside my memory of the night when I caught him.”  _

Harry hesitated; his quill suspended over the diary. What did Riddle mean? How could he be taken inside somebody else’s memory? He glanced nervously at the door to the dormitory, which was growing dark. When he looked back at the diary, he saw fresh words forming.

_ “Let me show you.”  _

Harry paused for a fraction of a second and then wrote two letters.

_ “Ok.”  _

The pages of the diary began to blow as though caught in a high wind, stopping halfway through the month of June. Mouth hanging open, Harry saw that the little square for June thirteenth seemed to have turned into a minuscule television screen. His hands trembling slightly, he raised the book to press his eye against the little window, and before he knew what was happening, he was tilting forward; the window was widening, he felt his body leave his bed, and he was pitched headfirst through the opening in the page.

**

** October 30, 1981 **

** Sirius sat on the couch in the living room, holding his child in his lap and bouncing her up and down on his knee so she giggled. They’d been doing this for some time; Hannah never really got bored of their game. He’d sit down on the couch and she’d crawl up to him, and he’d have to pick her up and place her on his lap before she started trying to eat his shoelaces. She was teething, Remus said it was normal. Sirius just never wanted to wipe off his boots, and he’d seen her almost eat dirt one-too-many times.  **

** So they sat together, Sirius holding Hannah by her little arms and shaking her on his knee while she shrieked with laughter.  **

** Remus turned the corner from the dining room and smiled as he looked over at his family. He pressed himself against the doorframe and grinned as Sirius gave Hannah a bump and she giggled. **

** “That’s a belly laugh,” Remus said happily. “I can hardly ever get her to do that.” **

** “Yeah, well,” Sirius grunted. “I’m gifted with everyone.”  **

** Remus laughed as he walked over to the couch and sat down next to Sirius. Hannah looked over at the movement and smiled happily at her other father, reaching out to him and plummeting off Sirius’ knee.  **

** “She likes you more,” Sirius grunted moodily. Remus chuckled.  **

** “She just likes the way I throw her, like this-“ Remus picked Hannah up and lifted her above his head and back down again without letting go. Hannah giggled happily.  **

** “You have to really throw her, you know,” Sirius said. “Like lay down and throw her up then catch her again. She likes that.”  **

** “Well,” Remus grinned. “Wouldn’t want to accidentally get puked on.”  **

** “Do you always have to bring that up?” Sirius snapped. “It was one time, Remus.”  **

** “I know,” Remus said quietly. “I was only joking.” **

** “Whatever,” Sirius said as he sighed and pushed himself deeper into the couch. Remus looked over at him, sadness settling in his eyes. Things had been difficult for them recently, especially since Lily and James’ party. That had been the last time they’d all seen each other. A few days later, they’d all gone on lockdown when Voldemort himself had shown up at Dorcas and Marlene’s flat when Marlene had been visiting her family. Voldemort had murdered Dorcas, and left Marlene to find her body. It had torn them all apart; Sirius ended up spending a whole week at Grimmauld Place just to keep away from everyone else. It had all gotten worse, of course, when Voldemort then targeted Marlene’s family and killed them all. Sirius had come back to the house then and cried into Remus’ chest like a brokenhearted teenager.  **

** They hadn’t been the same since then.  **

** Part of Remus wondered if Sirius blamed him for their deaths. It was possible, Remus’ only missions were on full moons. He spent them with Greyback and his pack, spying for Dumbledore. But besides that, he didn’t do much for the Order. Perhaps Sirius felt if he had done a bit more, Voldemort would’ve never been able to track down Dorcas or Marlene. But Sirius went on missions all the time, and someone had to take care of Hannah.  **

** It had been a poor decision to have a child, but one neither of them could bring themselves to regret. Bringing a little more love into the world had seemed to turn the world even crueler, and now all they did was worry about what would happen if anyone ever found out Hannah was theirs. Or if anyone ever tried to hurt her in order to hurt them. Remus sometimes woke up at night in a cold sweat from dreams about something happening to her. He was thankful that Sirius was a heavy sleeper, and never questioned him in the late hours of the night when he had to curl up into his side. Sirius never let Remus touch him anymore, unless it was for something like that.  **

** It had been months since he’d called Remus “Moony” or “love” or any of his old names. They hadn’t kissed in weeks, and Remus couldn’t remember the last time they had sex. It had to have been before Dorcas died. Something had shifted in Sirius in that brief period where he’d been staying at Grimmauld Place. It was like he’d come to some sort of conclusion about Remus.  **

** Sirius looked over at Remus, who was still watching him. Hannah blew raspberries into her fist, completely oblivious to any tension.  **

** Sirius narrowed his eyes at Remus.  **

** “Do you miss James?” Remus blurted out. Sirius frowned. **

** “What?” he said.  **

** “Do you miss James?” Remus repeated. “You seem grumpy, and you haven’t seen him in a while. You should go and visit, you’re the secret keeper, after all. You’re the only one who  _ can _ . He’s probably missing you too.”  **

** “Right,” Sirius said, shifting in his seat. Remus leaned forward very slightly. He knew the exact point where he had to stop getting close, otherwise, Sirius would get up and walk away.  **

** “You should go,” he smiled. “I’ll make dinner and feed Hannah; you go see James. Think about how much he probably misses you.”  **

** Sirius looked down at his lap, suppressing several emotions.  **

** “He probably misses me a lot,” he said.  **

** “Exactly,” Remus encouraged. “So go visit. I’ll take care of things here.”  **

** Sirius looked up into Remus' bright face. He could tell he was forcing it, Remus wanted to be away from him. He didn’t really blame him; Sirius had been an ass on purpose lately to try and see if Remus would confess to being the spy. There had been something Sirius despised in the way Remus had reacted to Marlene and Dorcas’ deaths, like he only cared how it was hurting Sirius. It hadn’t really been that way, but, Sirius’ subconscious had been looking for a reason to pin it on Remus.  **

**_ That one, the one you trust and value the most? He’s the spy. He could never truly love someone like you. He wants you dead. _ **

** There hadn’t been much more Sirius could do to convince himself it wasn’t true. He had been sold, and ever since then, it was pain to be in the same room as Remus. And pain, even more, when Remus woke him up in the middle of the night with tears streaked down his face. Sirius let him lay into him then, because he could wake up the next morning and pretend he hadn’t been fully awake. Truly he almost wanted Remus to have nightmares so he’d get to hold him again. He’d breathe in his scent without any guilt and get to wake up the next morning and go back to his new persona.  **

** Sirius looked into Remus’ eyes and pushed back tears. Warm, bright amber, like they always were. He wanted so badly to kiss him, to tell him all of his thoughts, and for things to go back to the way they’d been before. But the guilt that would come with opening himself back up to the man he’d convinced himself was the spy would be unbearable. So Sirius looked back down and stared at his thumbs. He couldn’t think up any excuses of why not to go, Remus had a point, he and James missed each other. But Sirius couldn’t see James. Only Peter could.  **

** A few seconds later, Sirius was stepping out of the door while wrapping his coat around him, his head still ringing from the sound of Hannah’s cries. She cried whenever he left, but Remus said she always stopped after a few minutes. Sirius had offered to take Hannah out with him but Remus had faltered before saying he wanted Hannah to stay inside the house. Sirius didn’t really mind it much. Hannah was one thing he fully trusted Remus with. And Sirius didn’t think he should be bringing Hannah where he was going anyway.  **

** He walked over to his bike and started it up, automatically putting on his helmet without thinking about it. He scowled when he realized he was doing the straps. A few years ago he would’ve never done that, but Remus had ingrained it in his brain.  **

** The broken old radio on the handlebar came to life as he spun out of the driveway, and Sirius hummed along to one of his favorite Queen songs; Tie Your Mother Down. Or at least, one of James’ favorite Queen songs. Sirius sighed as he got far enough out into the countryside to fly up into the air. He missed James. It felt like there was a large hole in his chest that only an awkward side-hug from his best friend could fix. Except, it wouldn’t be awkward for them. Sirius and James had always been perfect friends. Except for the time that Sirius had broken James’ third pair of glasses that month in a playfight. And after The Prank… **

** Sirius shook his head as he flew through the air, trying to push back the bad memories. He soared and sang along to his music. He was high up enough that no one could hear him if he tried. Vaguely he wondered if a Death Eater would appear… maybe looking for a fight.  **

**_ Good. _ The voice in Sirius’ head said.  _ Let them come. I want a fight.  _ **

** Sirius pushed back those thoughts as well. He had people relying on him now, he couldn’t keep thinking like that. He sighed to himself as he went back down to the ground, knowing he was doing it solely because Remus got uncomfortable when he flew the bike. Sirius touched down on an empty road and sped into a street, entering a Muggle town. Traffic emerged and Sirius was forced to sit and wait for cars to pass. He looked over at the sound of several giggles and saw a group of girls watching him. One of them was brave enough to smile and wave. Sirius rolled his eyes as the light changed and he sped off, leaving them in a cloud of dust. Sirius knew he was attractive, he talked about it all the time. He was tall and lean, with his muscles from quidditch still hanging on even though he didn’t do much with them anymore. His black hair had gotten down past his shoulders, which he loved, but Hannah loved to grab and pull more. Sirius had always been attractive. That was one thing he was betting on never changing.  **

** But the girls noticing had always pissed him off a bit. Even before he knew he was gay it had just annoyed him. Like, “why do you have to be interested? I don’t want you to be.” He’d wanted boys to be interested even though it took him a while to admit it to himself. He’d wanted Remus to be interested, specifically. Sirius had known for months before Remus did. He liked to think a part of him always knew, from the moment they shook hands.  **

** Sirius had come to terms with the fact that he and Remus had fallen out of love but he thought that there was something more significant in how long they had stayed that way. Sirius had been head-over-heels for Remus. There was a part of him that was still in love with Remus, but that part tended to be more corrupted by the part that thought his love was capable of murder. Sometimes it was all he could do to be in the same room as him.  **

** He turned a corner and sped down a street, heading into a large bunch of old run-down buildings. Sirius parked his bike outside one of them and sighed as he looked up at the apartment complex. He’d always wondered why Peter had chosen to live in such a Muggle place. The firewhiskey he’d spilled on his bed would’ve come out if he’d just given him a bit more time… **

** Sirius walked into one of the buildings and up several flights of stairs. He arrived on the third floor and walked over to the door that had a faded brass number seven screwed on the outside. He rang the doorbell and smiled to himself at the sound of a squeak and several bumps. Peter had always been rather clumsy.  **

** He stepped aside as Peter cracked the door and peered out into the hallway. His eyes widened when he saw who it was.  **

** “Are you going to let me in?” Sirius smirked. Peter stuttered for a few seconds and then he nodded, opening the door and moving out of the way.  **

** Sirius walked in and looked around as he did so. The place was old, there was no denying it. But Peter had managed to give it a homey feeling. He tended to have that effect on places and people. He made them feel welcome.  **

** “S-Sit down,” Peter grunted as he pulled out a chair, not even trying to sound like he was happy to see him. Sirius sat, raising an eyebrow as Peter walked away into the kitchen, twiddling his thumbs, and looking like a nervous wreck. He returned a few seconds later with one glass of water, which he handed to Sirius.  **

** “Fucks the matter with you?” Sirius said, never being one for subtlety. Peter took the seat across from him and began rocking back and forth.  **

** “Nothing,” Peter said, then, like an afterthought, he looked up at Sirius and asked, “Why’re you here?”  **

** “Remus told me I should go visit Prongs,” Sirius answered. “Couldn’t think of an explanation for why I couldn’t go so I left. Came here because, obviously, I can’t.”  **

** Peter shook his head like he was agreeing while mumbling, “Good idea… good thinking…”  **

** Sirius frowned at him.  **

** “When’s the last time you visited James and Lily?” he asked curiously.  **

** “Last night,” Peter answered sharply. “Wanted to say… wanted to say my… things.” **

** Peter was acting more nervous than Sirius had ever seen him. **

** “Pete, what’s wrong with you? You’re a wreck,” Sirius said. When Peter remained quiet, Sirius leaned forward in his seat. “What happened, Peter? You can tell me.”  **

** Peter shot up from his seat like he’d been electrocuted and grabbed the untouched glass of water from the table. He turned and walked to the kitchen, yelling over his shoulder, “You should be leaving soon!”  **

**_ “What the fuck?” _ Sirius mumbled under his breath as he stood up and began to follow Peter. “Why?” he yelled as he walked. “What the hell is wrong with you? I know we haven’t talked in a while but-“  **

** Sirius froze once he got to the kitchen doorway. Peter was standing by the sink, washing the glass that Sirius had not touched like his life depended on it. He had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and Sirius’ mouth fell open in horror and the sight of what was imprinted on Peter’s forearm. Peter didn’t seem to notice that Sirius was standing there, or that he’d rolled up his sleeves. He just kept washing the glass, mumbling to himself.  **

** “You,” Sirius gaped, trying to process it all. “Y-you-“ **

** Peter looked up and his eyes widened when he realized what he’d done. He dropped the glass in the sink and pushed his sleeves back down as he slowly took a few steps back.  **

** “Sirius-“ Peter began, but Sirius was too fast, and too angry. In one step he was right next to Peter, and in one quick motion, he’d punched him directly in the jaw, sending him falling to the floor in a whimpering heap, clutching his face.  **

** “You  _ motherfucker,” _ Sirius screamed, bending down to hit him again. “You ruined-“ **

** Peter moved very fast, as Sirius should’ve remembered he could when he wanted to. He waited until Sirius had his fist cocked back again before pointing the wand that he’d grabbed from his pocket when he'd fallen at Sirius’ head and screaming,  _ “Obliviate!” _ **

** Sirius’ eyes went blank and he fell back on the floor, knocking the back of his head very hard against the ground as he hit the ground and lay completely still. Peter got to his feet slowly, clutching his jaw. He walked over to Sirius and nudged him in the ribs with his foot. Sirius didn’t move.  **

**_ “Shit,” _ Peter cursed, looking behind him to check the clock he’d hung on the wall. He turned back around and dropped down to the floor, picking Sirius up from under his arms and slowly dragging him out of the kitchen and down the hallway. Panting, he dragged him down to his bedroom and dropped him next to his bed. He took his wand out of his pocket to levitate Sirius onto the bed, then realized he could’ve just done that to get him to the room, which made him mad, causing him to storm out of the room, leaving Sirius on the floor. He locked the door behind him and Sirius was trapped, unconscious, breathing raggedly as the front door to Peter’s house swung open and the muffled sound of several voices echoed through the house.  **

** Sirius blinked his eyes open slowly. He couldn’t say where he was, or even who he was at that moment. It took him several long minutes to catch his breath, and several more to remember his name. Slowly, things started coming back to him. Peter’s spell hadn’t been that strong. He tried to move his head but groaned out in pain when he did; there was a large lump on the back from where he’d hit the floor. **

** About an hour later, the sound of people getting up and leaving reached Peter’s bedroom door. Sirius still lay there, trying not to focus too much on the pain in his head. He heard the front door open, and a few muffled goodbyes before he heard Peter come down the hallway. He unlocked the door and walked in, sniffling quietly. He looked like he’d been crying.  **

** “Wormtail?” Sirius said from the floor. “Issat you?”  **

** “Yes,” Peter said gruffly before dropping down to Sirius’ level.  **

** “Hurt my head,” Sirius commented. **

** “Yes,” Peter said again. He took his wand out of his pocket and yanked Sirius up by his arm, ignoring his groan of pain. He turned his head with his hand and took out his wand, performing a shoddy healing spell on the back of Sirius’ head.  **

** “Still hurts,” Sirius said. Peter used his hand to turn Sirius’ face to his.  **

** “You will pretend it doesn’t,” Peter said, Sirius frowned uncomfortably, like even with his brain in this fragile of a state he wasn’t willing to take orders from someone. “You will go home and do what you were going to do. Tell Remus you spent the day with James and Lily. Make it convincing.”  **

** Sirius grunted and shook his head, getting up off the floor. When he stood he rubbed his forehead and blinked hard, watching Peter stand up as well.  **

** “I fell asleep here?” Sirius asked.  **

** “Yes,” Peter said. “Now leave.”  **

** “Okay,” Sirius answered, walking out of Peter’s bedroom, down the hallway, and out of the front door without saying goodbye. He walked down the staircase dreamily, almost tripping over his own feet several times before reaching his bike, putting his helmet on, and starting it up. He looked up at the sky and smiled at the dark blue it had turned. Without really thinking, Sirius pulled his bike out of where he parked it and rocketed into the sky, speeding up into the clouds and grinning as the cold wind slapped his face. The next week's newspaper would have “Local Woman Claims to See Flying Motorbike” written in very small letters a few pages after the main event.  **

** The freezing cold air would’ve bothered Sirius any other time, but he found it refreshing as he flew. It jarred his senses and made him feel very awake, like he’d just won a quidditch match with James. He flew fast through the sky, letting the wind rip through his hair and freeze his hands to the handle of his bike.  **

** He got lower as he started to recognize the familiar green scenery, and touched down on the dirt road about a mile away from the cottage. He sped down the road and reached his home in a matter of minutes, pulling into the driveway and turning off his bike before undoing the straps on his helmet, taking it off, and placing it on one of the handlebars. He got up and walked inside, smiling dreamily when the warmth hit him and he heard the sound of music blasting.  **

**_ ‘Now here I go again _ **

**_ I see the crystal visions _ **

**_ I keep my visions to myself _ **

**_ It's only me who wants to wrap around your dreams’ _ **

** Sirius took his boots off at the door, something he hardly ever did even though Remus requested it frequently, and walked forward to the dining room where the music was coming from. He stopped and leaned against the door frame when his eyes fell on his family.  **

** Hannah was in her high chair, clapping and jabbering away happily as Remus attempted to feed her. It didn’t seem like she was getting much though, as Remus was spending a bit more time dancing to the music playing than spooning Hannah food. Remus, who had his eyes closed and his guard down, fulling trusting the protection around their house that only let Sirius or him in, was completely oblivious to his boyfriend watching him dance from the doorway. So Sirius got to see how much happier Remus was when he wasn’t around, and while normally this would’ve upset him a great deal, Peter’s weak memory charm made it so it didn’t process as that in Sirius’ mind. For him, he was just watching Remus dance.  **

**_ ‘Dreams of loneliness _ **

**_ Like a heartbeat drives you mad _ **

**_ In the stillness of remembering what you had _ **

**_ And what you lost _ **

**_ And what you had’ _ **

** Remus spun around very uncoordinated fashion, but Sirius thought he looked beautiful. His long, gangly limbs flailed around as he filled the room and made Hannah laugh. He stopped to try and get some food into Hannah’s mouth and must have finally sensed Sirius there because he looked over and jumped violently, dropping the bowl of food that he’d been giving Hannah onto her plate. She immediately stuck both of her hands in the bowl as Remus tried to regain his breath.  **

** “For fucks sake, Sirius,” he breathed. “You scared the shit out of me.”  **

** “Sorry,” Sirius said politely, still leaning up against the door frame and smiling. A flicker of confusion flashed across Remus’ face at the happy tone of Sirius’ voice but he shook it off.  **

** “Surprised you aren’t covered in cat fur,” he commented. **

** “What?” Sirius said, cocking his head in confusion. Remus frowned at him.  **

** “Cat fur,” he said, like it was obvious, “from Banjo? Lily’s cat?” **

** “Oh, right,” Sirius said. Remus just stood there awkwardly. Something was definitely off about him… **

** “How were they-?“ **

** “I like your dance moves,” Sirius grinned and Remus scowled as he turned over to Hannah and started to clean her hands off, thinking he was just picking at him.  **

** “Shut up.” **

** “No,” Sirius said. “You’re beautiful, you know that right?” **

** Remus looked up at Sirius, not knowing what to say. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten a compliment from him.  **

** “Can I dance with you?” Sirius asked. Remus just stood there with his mouth open so Sirius walked over, grabbing one of his hands in his own and wrapping his other around Remus’ waist. Remus remained still for a second before taking a shaky breath and letting himself lean into Sirius, rocking back and forth.  **

**_ ‘Thunder only happens when it's rainin' _ **

**_ Players only love you when they're playin' _ **

**_ Women, they will come and they will go _ **

**_ When the rain washes you clean, you'll know’ _ **

** They spun around the dining room while Hannah went back to entertaining herself by playing with her food. Remus had tears in his eyes as they danced, overwhelmed with the feeling of Sirius touching him and showing him non-hostile attention. Sirius just placed his head on Remus’ shoulder dreamily, soaking in the motion of what he’d been too guilty to let himself do. He felt like he was dreaming, like he was half-asleep and Remus was curling into him in bed. He felt content that they would both wake up the next morning and go back to what their normal was. But for now, he got to hold Moony. Like he always wanted to.  **

**_ ‘Oh, thunder only happens when it's rainin' _ **

**_ Players only love you when they're playin' _ **

**_ Say, women, they will come and they will go _ **

**_ When the rain washes you clean, you'll know’ _ **

** Sirius sighed and picked his head off of Remus’ shoulder to bend down and kiss his neck and shoulder blade.  **

** “I love you,” Sirius mumbled between kisses. “I love you… I love you…” **

** Remus drew another shaky breath, letting tears finally fall out of his eyes and down his cheeks.  **

** “I love you too,” he mumbled back. “I love you so much.” **

**_ ‘You'll know’ _ **

** They spun until the song ended and skipped to the next, and Sirius stopped them and looked up at Remus. He didn’t seem surprised by the tears but he smiled at him, pressing their foreheads together and breathing in deeply before leaning forward and kissing him. Remus kissed him back, screwing up his face with suppressed emotion as Sirius reached a hand up and tangled it in Remus’ curly tawny hair like he’d done so many times before. They kissed until Hannah yelled for attention and they were forced to break apart, laughing. They put her to bed after cleaning her up, and then Sirius found himself walking over to Remus again in their room, kissing him like he’d wanted to before. They laid down on the bed and continued, their bodies pressed together as close as they could get. **

** Sirius tried to initiate more but Remus stopped him. He didn’t ask why or whine, but just looked into his warm amber eyes and smiled before kissing him on the forehead. His Moony.  **

** They fell asleep pressed together, fitting like they’d been made for one another in each other’s arms.  **

**_ ‘You will know’ _ **

** Halloween morning when Sirius woke up, the memory charm had settled and the spell Peter had performed on the back of his head to make it hurt less had worn off. He untangled himself from Remus and walked to the bathroom, groaning in pain as he rubbed his head.  **

** He walked to the mirror and took his hand, pressing it to the large bump and then hissing from the pain it caused. He rubbed it more gently as he looked at himself in the mirror.  **

** What had happened? **

** He remembered taking a nap at Peter’s house, then coming home and kissing Remus. They’d fallen asleep together, he remembered that too. Where had he gotten the bump from? Had it… had it been Remus?  **

** He watched himself in the mirror, slightly horrified as he heard the sound of Remus getting out of bed behind him. Remus walked over and smiled when he saw Sirius standing in the bathroom. He wrapped his arms around Sirius’ waist and put his head on his shoulder, kissing him there before asking, “Everything all right?”  **

** “Everything is fine,” Sirius answered in a monotone. “Please don’t touch me, Remus.”  **

** Remus froze, lifting his head from where it had been and looking up to meet Sirius’ eyes in the mirror.  **

** “B-but… you-“ **

** Sirius’ expression remained the same and Remus’ face turned a light shade of pink as he unwrapped his arms from around Sirius and stepped away. He did a doubletake, like he was about to say something, but seemed to decide against it before walking out of the room completely. Sirius drew a breath when he had gone and looked back into the mirror.  **

** They remained hostile for the rest of the day, Remus not even bothering to put up his “I don’t mind how you’re behaving” act and Sirius skirting around Remus whenever he could, fully paranoid and convinced that Remus had done something to his head.  **

** When they went to bed they slept side by side still out of pure stubbornness, neither willing to back down. Sirius stayed awake for the majority of the night out of fear until he unwillingly fell into a light sleep. He was jerked awake a few minutes later by his wand on the bedside table going off and waking both him and Remus. Sirius picked it up in horror, recognizing the charm that Lily had set.  **

** ‘ _ Oh, you'll know…’ _ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Dreams by Fleetwood Mac


	28. Brandy - Year Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the Chamber of Secrets  
> 

After a few seconds of tumbling through the entrance of the diary, Harry felt his feet hit solid ground, and he stood, shaking, as the blurred shapes around him suddenly came into focus.

He knew immediately where he was. The circular room with the sleeping portraits was Dumbledore’s office… but it wasn’t Dumbledore who was sitting behind the desk. A wizened, frail-looking wizard, bald except for a few wisps of hair, was reading a letter by candlelight. Harry had never seen this man before.

“I’m sorry,” he said shakily. “I didn’t mean to burst in-“

But the wizard didn’t look up. He continued to read, frowning slightly. Harry drew nearer to his desk and stammered, “Er… I’ll just go, shall I?”

The wizard continued to ignore him. Thinking that maybe the wizard was hard of hearing, Harry raised his voice and half-shouted, “Sorry I disturbed you. I’ll go now.”

The wizard folded up the letter with a sigh, stood up, walked past Harry without glancing at him, and went to draw the curtains at his window. The sky outside was ruby-red from the setting sun and the old wizard sighed mournfully at it before going back to the desk, sitting down, and twiddling his thumbs while watching the door.

Harry looked around the office. No Fawkes the phoenix, no whirring silver contraptions. This was Hogwarts was Riddle had known it, meaning that this unknown wizard was Headmaster, not Dumbledore, Harry was little more than a phantom, completely invisible to the people of fifty years ago.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the office door.

“Enter,” the old wizard said in a feeble voice.

A boy of about sixteen opened the door and let himself in, taking off his pointed hat as he did so. A silver prefect’s badge was glittering on his chest. He was much taller than Harry but he too had jet-black hair.

“Ah, Riddle,” the Headmaster said.

“You wanted to see me, Professor Dippet?” Riddle said. He looked nervous.

“Sit down,” Dippet said. “I’ve just been reading the letter you sent me.”

“Oh,” Riddle said. He sat down, gripping his hands together very tightly.

“My dear boy,” Dippet said kindly, “I cannot possibly let you stay at school over the summer. Surely you want to go home for the holidays?”

“No,” Riddle said at once. “I’d much rather stay at Hogwarts than go back to that… to that…”

“You live in a Muggle orphanage during the holidays, I believe?” Dippet said curiously.

“Yes, sir,” Riddle answered, reddening slightly.

“You are Muggle-born?”

“Half-blood, sir,” Riddle corrected sharply. “Muggle father, witch mother.”

“And are both of your parents-?”

“My mother died just after I was born, sir. They told me at the orphanage she lived just long enough to name me. Tom after my father, Marvolo after my grandfather.”

Dippet clucked his tongue sympathetically.

“The thing is, Tom,” he sighed, “special arrangements might have been made for you, but under the current circumstances…”

“You mean all these attacks, sir?” Riddle said, and Harry’s heart leaped. He moved closer, not wanting to miss anything.

“Precisely,” the headmaster said. “My dear boy, you must see how foolish it would be of me to allow you to remain at the castle when the term ends. Particularly in light of the recent tragedy… the death of that poor girl… you will be safer by far at your orphanage. As a matter of fact, the Ministry of Magic is even now talking about closing the school. We are no nearer locating the… er… source of all this unpleasantness.”

Riddle’s eyes had widened.

“Sir… if the person was caught… if it all stopped…”

“What do you mean?” Dippet asked sharply, sitting up in his chair. “Riddle, do you mean you know something about these attacks?”

“No, sir,” Riddle said quickly. But Harry was sure it was the same sort of “no” that he’d given Dumbledore.

Dippet sank back, looking faintly disappointed.

“You may go, Tom…”

Riddle slid off his chair and slouched out of the room, Harry in pursuit. They went down the spiral staircase, emerging next to the gargoyle in the darkening corridor. Riddle stopped and so did Harry. He could tell Riddle was doing some serious thinking; he was biting his lip, and had his forehead furrowed.

Then, as though he had suddenly reached a decision, he hurried off, Harry walking along noiselessly behind him. They didn’t see another person until they reached the entrance hall, when a tall wizard with long, sweeping auburn hair and a beard called to Riddle from the marble staircase.

“What are you doing, wandering around this late, Tom?”

Harry gaped at the wizard. He was none other than a fifty-year-younger Dumbledore.

“I had to see the headmaster, sir,” Riddle said.

“Well, hurry off to bed,” Dumbledore said, giving Riddle exactly the kind of penetrating stare Harry knew so well. “Best not to roam the corridors these days. Not since…”

He sighed heavily, bade Riddle a goodnight, and strode off. Riddle watched him walk out of sight and then, moving quickly, headed straight down the stone steps to the dungeons, with Harry in pursuit. But to his disappointment, Riddle led him not into a hidden passageway or a secret tunnel but to the very dungeon in which Harry had potions with Snape. The torches hadn’t been lit, and when Riddle pushed the door almost close, Harry could only just see him, standing stock-still by the door, watching the passage outside.

It felt to Harry that they were there for at least an hour. All he could see was the figure of Riddle at the door, staring through the crack, waiting like a statue. And just when Harry had stopped feeling expectant and tense and started wishing he could return to the present, he heard something move beyond the door.

Someone was creeping along the passage. He heard whoever it was pass the dungeon where he and Riddle were hidden. Riddle, quiet as a shadow, edged through the door and followed, Harry tiptoeing behind him, forgetting that he couldn’t be heard.

They followed the footsteps for about five minutes, until Riddle stopped suddenly, his head inclined in the direction of new noises. Harry heard a door creak open, and then someone speaking in a hoarse whisper.

“C’mon… gotta get yeh outta here… C’mon now… in the box…”

The voice was strikingly familiar, but Harry couldn’t place it.

Riddle suddenly jumped around the corner, and Harry stepped out behind him. He could see the dark outline of a huge boy who was crouching in front of an open door, leaning over a very large box.

“Evening, Rubeus,” Riddle said sharply.

The boy stood up and slammed the door shut.

“What yer doin’ down here, Tom?”

Riddle stepped closer.

“It’s all over,” he said, “I’m going to have to turn you in, Rubeus. They’re talking about closing Hogwarts if the attacks don’t stop.”

“What d’yeh-“

“I don’t think you meant to kill anyone, but monsters don’t make good pets. I suppose you let it out for exercise-“

“It never killed no one!” the large boy shouted, backing up against the closed door. From behind him, Harry could hear a funny rustling and clicking.

“Come on, Rubeus,” Riddle said, moving closer. “The dead girl’s parents will be here tomorrow. The least Hogwarts can do is make sure that the thing that killed their daughter is slaughtered-“

“It wasn’t him!” the boy roared, his voice echoing around the dark passageway. “He wouldn’! He never!”

“Stand aside,” Riddle said, drawing his wand.

His spell lit the corridor with a sudden flaming light. The door behind the large boy flew open with such force it knocked him into the wall opposite. And out of it came something that made Harry let out a long, piercing scream unheard by anyone-

A vast, low-slung, hairy body and a tangle of black legs came barreling out of the room, many eyes gleaming and razor-sharp pinchers snapping. Riddle raised his wand again, but he was too late. The thing bowled him over as it scuttled away, tearing up the corridor and out of sight. Riddle scrambled to his feet, looking after it. He raised his wand, but the huge boy leapt on him, seized his wand, and threw him back down, yelling, “NOOOOO!”

The scene whirled as the darkness became complete. Harry felt himself falling and, with a crash, he landed spread-eagle on his four-poster in the Gryffindor dormitory, Riddle’s diary innocently lying open on his stomach. Before he had time to catch his breath, the dormitory door opened and Ron came in.

“There you are,” he said, grinning. Harry sat up, sweating, and shaking. The grin slipped off Ron’s face immediately and he said, “What’s up?” with a voiceful of concern.

“It was Hagrid, Ron. Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago.”

**

The marauders had always known that Hagrid had an unfortunate liking for large and monstrous creatures due to his typical ramblings, the fact that he’d tried to raise a dragon in his wooden house, and had dubbed a three-headed dog “Fluffy”. It seemed in character for Hagrid, as a boy, to have heard about a monster hiding in the castle and immediately have gone to find it. He’d probably thought it was a shame that the monster had been cooped up so long, and probably freed it without completely understanding how dangerous it was. While the four friends could all perfectly picture Hagrid trying to sling a leash around a monster, they were also completely sure that Hagrid would’ve never intentionally hurt anyone. 

To get a complete understanding of the story, Hermione, Hannah, and Ron grilled Harry over and over again and made him repeat every aspect since they hadn’t been there. Around his fifth retelling, Harry was looking like he almost wished he’d never figured out how to open Riddle’s diary. 

“Hold on, go back,” Hannah said, stopping Harry in the middle of his sentence. He sighed dramatically but the other three ignored him. 

“Back to what?” Harry whined. 

“Back to the monster. You said it crawled at you?”

“Well, yeah,” Harry said, puzzled to why this was relevant. “It came at me and Riddle like… crawling.”

“Describe the monster, Prongs,” Hermione said, sitting forward in her seat like this was a particularly good transfiguration lesson. She looked on the verge of taking out a piece of paper and scribbling notes. 

“It was hairy, and had a lot of legs,” Harry said immediately. “Scary as hell, I might add, almost pissed myself-”

“So it was a spider?” Ron questioned, sounding scared. 

“I suppose so,” Harry answered. “I didn’t really get a good look at it.” 

“That is what Dad said... but it can’t be a spider,” Hannah laughed. The boys looked at her, puzzled, and she rolled her eyes. “We’ve already figured out it’s a Basilisk. That’s what fits the description. Why on earth would it be a spider? That doesn’t make sense. Like Dad said when he was here, that's not how they kill.” 

“It definitely wasn’t a snake,” Harry said with certainty. 

“Do you think Riddle got the wrong person?” Hermione wondered aloud. The other three knew better than to answer her question, they could see she was thinking to herself. “It’s possible…” Hermione mumbled, “It’s possible that Hagrid was just hiding a different monster. And the Basilisk was the one attacking people.” 

“How many monsters d’you think this place can hold?” Ron asked.

“But Hagrid was expelled, we’ve always known that,” Harry said miserably. “Plus, the attacks must have stopped after Hagrid was kicked out, otherwise Riddle wouldn’t have gotten his reward.” 

“Maybe whoever was doing the attacks decided to stop after Hagrid was caught for it,” Hannah said. “Suppose they figured they’d just let him take the fall for it.” 

“We can’t just completely rule out Hagrid being the one with the monster,” Hermione reasoned. “I don’t want to think it either but we have to keep in mind he was fully expelled for it. Surely they did more than just take Riddle’s word for it?” 

“But him having a spider doesn’t make sense,” Hannah said. “And wouldn’t the heir have to be connected to Slytherin somehow? I don’t think Hagrid has any ties to Salazar.” 

“Maybe he just got buddy-buddy with the monster and it let him in,” Ron suggested. 

“There had to have been more evidence,” Hermione said, looking around the room like another diary with more memories might float off of a shelf and present itself to her. 

“Didn’t you meet Hagrid down Knockturn Alley, Harry?” Ron said suddenly, like the memory had just struck him. 

“He was buying Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent,” Harry said quickly. They all still fell silent, thinking privately how much they wished it wasn’t Hagrid. 

“Do you think we should go ask Hagrid about it all?” Hermione said, finally breaking the silence in a nervous voice. “We don’t have enough evidence with just the memory to be sure it's really him. Plus the monster not being a snake just doesn’t make any sense-” 

“But, that’ll be a cheerful visit,” Ron interrupted. “Hey Hagrid, remember when you were expelled? Also, did you happen to murder anyone before then? Are you doing it again now?” 

“It wouldn’t have been a murder, Ron,” Hannah corrected. 

“I know, I know,” Ron smirked. “But someone’s got to be the comedic relief, otherwise we’d just sit around, listen to Led Zeppelin, and read books.” 

Hannah kicked Ron’s foot with his and they all laughed. In the end, they decided to not ask Hagrid about the monster unless another attack happened. It had been nearly four months since the attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, and as days passed and Harry heard no disembodied voices in the halls, the marauders grew more hopeful that they’d never have to speak with Hagrid on the subject. 

Harry was in a visibly better mood with the lack of attacks that people were forced to see that he really did not want them to be happening. The hallway stopped growing quiet when he walked past, Peeves stopped singing his “Oh Potter, you rotter,” song, and even Ernie Macmillian politely asked Harry to pass a bucket of leaping toadstools in Herbology one day. That had been the same class period when Professor Sprout had been in a stellar mood and had granted them all points for practically nothing. They owed her good mood to the fact that the mandrakes had thrown a loud and rambunctious party the night before, which she saw as a sign of maturity.

“The moment they start trying to move into each other’s pots, we’ll know they’re fully mature,” she’d told the marauders that class. “Then we’ll be able to revive those poor people in the hospital wing.” 

Everything seemed to be dying down and coming back together. The four friends were in such great moods that even during their Easter Holidays when a new thing popped up for them to worry about, they didn’t fret over it much.

Well, three of them didn’t fret over it much. 

“It could affect our whole future!” Hermione cried as she poured over her list with a pencil, marking things. The time had come for them to choose their subjects for third year, something everyone was pretty excited about as it screamed “responsibility”. 

“I just want to drop potions,” Harry said. 

“We can’t,” Ron said gloomily. “We keep all our old subjects, or I’d’ve ditched Defense Against the Dark Arts.” 

“But that’s very important!” Hermione said with a shocked expression. 

“Not the way Lockhart teaches it,” Ron rebutted. “I haven’t learnt anything from him except not to set pixies loose.” 

“And exactly how much tooth whitener is too much,” Harry smirked. 

“Lockhart’ll be gone by next year anyway,” Hannah said. “Remember the twins told us about that curse on the job? There’s a new professor every year.”

“Right you are,” Ron said. “Wouldn’t drop it then just in case someone better comes along.” 

“If that’s true, I wonder who will be teaching next year,” Hermione wondered aloud. 

“Hopefully someone good,” Hannah sighed as Neville came and sat down next to them. He looked nervous and sweaty which wasn’t exactly uncommon for him but the current reason why became apparent in a matter of seconds. 

“My Gran just sent me this,” he said, holding up a letter. “And my Uncle this, and my second cousin this,” he repeated, holding up more letters. “Guess the parents were told before us about the classes. They’re all giving me different advice on what to choose.” 

“Let me see, Neville,” Hermione offered, reaching over to look through the letters with him and scoffing at some of the things his family members were saying. 

“Oh, bloody hell, did he say the parents found out about the classes before us?” Hannah said to Ron and Harry, who both happened to have food in their mouths. 

“Dats fut I lerd,” Ron offered. Hannah grimaced as she looked up at the ceiling and saw the owls pour in through the gap that always opened itself for them. Hannah recognized Soren, Remus’ owl, in the flock immediately and stuck out her arm so he had a place to land. He settled down, dropped a sealed letter into Hannah’s lap, stuck his beak in Ron’s orange juice, and flew off again. 

Hannah sighed and opened the letter as Ron complained about his ruined juice. 

_Puppy,_

_Minerva wrote and reminded me that you’ll be choosing your classes for next year soon. I hope you understand how important this is for your next few years of school, these extracurriculars will be around for quite some time and you need to make sure you pick something that suits you. I’ve compiled a list of the classes I took, I think you’ll do well-”_

“Care of Magical Creatures, yeah, probably, Arithmancy, ew no way, Muggle Studies, why would I take something I already know-?” Hannah read off from the list. 

“Easy O,” Harry said. “I’ll take Muggle Studies if you do.” 

“I dunno, probably not,” Hannah frowned. “I can’t intentionally bore myself like that for a good grade. History of Magic is already my naptime class, I don’t need another.” 

Harry shrugged and took another bite of food as Hannah chewed her nail and read over the rest of the letter from Remus. 

In the end, Hannah, Ron, and Harry ended up taking the same courses, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. Hannah signed up for Ancient Runes along with Hermione, but made it clear that if it were to mess with her schedule she’d drop it. Hermione, on the other hand, signed up for every single class and completely ignored the other marauders’ advice on the subject, claiming she just needed to have every possible experience. 

Harry was just happy to be taking the same subjects as the other three. He figured if he was lousy at them he’d at least have his friends to help out. 

**

Gryffindor’s next match was against Hufflepuff, and Wood prepared them all as he usually did; hard, long hours of training. They had practice every night after dinner, which left Hannah and Harry with barely any time for anything but Quidditch and homework. 

However, all the sessions did seem to be paying off, the three chasers flew in perfect harmony, perfecting passes and different plays, the beaters had learned a few new tricks with their bats and were able to curve the bludger at a better angle than they’d been doing, the keeper was a formidable enemy to try and get by, and the seeker caught the snitch in under five minutes three times in a row one practice. They worked very well as a team, and by the evening before Saturday’s match, Hannah and Harry were in amazing moods. 

“The cup is basically ours,” Hannah gloated as they stepped through the portrait hole together. “I mean, did you see Angie curve the quaffle through the third hoop after crossing Oliver over? We’ve never had higher chances than with this team.” 

She beamed at him and he returned the gesture, positively glowing in the confidence she radiated for the win. But their happy moods didn’t get to last long. 

Neville came bounding down the stairs, missed the second to last step, and fell flat on his face. As the common room burst into laughter, Hannah and Harry walked over and helped him to his feet. 

“All right?” Hannah asked as he steadied himself. 

“Er… yeah, fine,” Neville mumbled, his face bright red. He looked up at Harry and something seemed to click back in his head, and his eyes went wide before he opened his mouth and said, “Oh! Harry… I don’t know who did it… I just found-” 

“Found what?” Harry questioned. Neville’s mouth just trembled and he turned around, mumbling a ‘follow me’ as he climbed the stairs. Hannah and Harry shared a look before running after him. They reached the second year boy’s dormitory in a matter of seconds, and Neville looked over at Harry fearfully before pushing the door open and stepping aside so Harry and Hannah could walk in. 

The contents of Harry’s trunk had been strewn across the floor. His cloak lay ripped on the carpet, the bedclothes had been pulled off his four-poster, and the drawer had been pulled out of his bedside cabinet. The contents had been thrown over the mattress. 

“What the-” Hannah mumbled as Harry walked over to the bed, open-mouthed. Neville helped him pull back the blankets of the bed as Ron, Dean, and Seamus walked in. 

“Holy shit,” Dean swore loudly as he saw the room. 

“What happened, Harry?” Seamus asked. 

“No idea,” Harry replied. Ron and Hannah crossed the room and began to look through the pile of mess around Harry’s once very neatly-kept bed. 

Ron examined Harry’s robes as Hannah looked around his bedside cabinet. 

“Someone’s been looking for something,” Ron said as he held up the robes and revealed that the pockets had been turned inside out. “Is there anything missing?” 

“I don’t think so,” Harry said, looking around. He felt his heart drop as he realized what might be gone and he looked up at Ron, mouthing the words, “the map?” 

Ron shook his head and nodded toward his bedside table. Hannah, who had seen the interaction, jumped over Harry’s bed and yanked open one of the drawers of Ron’s bedside table. She breathed a visible sigh of relief when she saw the tattered old paper sitting inside. 

Seamus, Neville, and Dean helped the other three tidy things up, fixing the fittings on Harry’s bed and hanging his curtains back up for him. But it wasn’t until Harry had thrown the rest of Lockhart’s books back into his trunk that he realized what wasn't there. 

“Riddle’s diary is gone,” he said in an undertone to Ron. 

_“Shit,”_ Hannah mumbled at the same time Ron hissed, _“What?”_

Harry jerked his head to the dormitory door and the other two followed him out. They hurried down to the Gryffindor common room and looked around for Hermione, who wasn’t there. Hannah ran up into the girl’s dormitory after an odd pause when Ron asked her to go get her. She returned with Hermione, who was holding a stuffy-looking book called _Ancient Runes Made Easy,_ a second later.

They dragged her over to a more private corner and told her all about what had happened upstairs. Hermione looked aghast at the news. 

“But… only another Gryffindor could’ve… we’re the only ones with the password-”

“Exactly,” Harry said. 

“Who would’ve possibly done that, though?” Ron wondered, scratching his head. 

“I’ve got no clue,” Hannah sighed as she sat back in her seat and looked around the room. A small group of first years were sitting by the fire, playing a game of chess. Hannah recognized the faces and looked around for Ginny, who usually hung around them, but she didn’t see her. She frowned but didn’t think much of it as Harry went on rambling about how people might still think him the heir. 

Hermione urged Harry to report the robbery, but he didn’t like the idea, and he told her so. 

“But if I do that, I’ll have to tell whichever teacher I report it to what was stolen, which, if you don’t remember, was Riddle’s diary,” Harry said. “And how many people know why Hagrid was expelled? I don’t want it all getting brought up again.”

“We could tell my dad,” Hannah offered. 

“What is that going to do?” Harry said. “No offense, I appreciate him more than you know but he isn’t here and he can’t do anything about all this. And quite frankly, I don’t really want any more people than necessary knowing about why Hagrid was expelled. It could come back to him!”

“He’s not going to _report it,”_ Hannah snorted. 

“It’s not about that,” Harry sighed. “He isn’t in a position to do anything. And we got all the information we could from the diary, do we really need it anymore?”

“But, Prongs, you just said we don’t want anyone else knowing why Hagrid got expelled,” Hermione pointed out. “If someone _has_ the diary someone _has_ that information.” 

“I know,” Harry said miserably. “We just need to figure out who it is and get it back, I suppose.” 

In the end, they had no answer, and Hannah and Harry were forced to go to bed by Wood, who was anxious for his team to get a good night’s rest before the game next morning. 

They woke the next day to brilliant sunshine and a light, refreshing breeze. Hannah was excited for the match to come and Harry, as per usual on game day, felt a bit like throwing up. Remus would not be attending this match, as he had fallen ill again, something that seemed to make Hannah very sad but Harry rather relieved, like a bit more pressure was being lifted from his shoulders. 

“Perfect Quidditch conditions,” Wood barked enthusiastically at the Gryffindor table when they’d all gone down for breakfast. He loaded the team’s plates with eggs and beamed at them all. “Harry, Hannah, eat some eggs, that one piece of toast won’t be enough, especially if you’re splitting it.” 

Harry looked down the Gryffindor table gloomily, wondering if the person who had his diary was right in front of his eyes. This didn’t help his mood much, but as they got up to walk to the pitch with Ron and Hermione, something even worse happened. Harry had just set his foot on one of the marble steps when he heard it. The voice. 

_“Kill this time… let me rip… tear…”_

He yelped aloud and Ron, Hermione, and Hannah jumped in alarm, looking over at him with concerned expressions. 

“The voice!” Harry said, looking over his shoulder. “I just heard it again… didn’t you?” 

Ron and Hannah shook their heads no as Hermione’s face went very slack, then brightened up slowly. The other three watched her cautiously, careful not to break her thought bubble as Hermione seemed to practically grow, then gasp and clap a hand to her forehead. 

“Oh!” she shrieked. 

“Oh?” Ron and Hannah said in unison. 

“I think I’ve just understood something!” Hermione yelled. 

“Well… lower the volume and enlighten us?” Hannah said and Hermione looked over like she was just now seeing her three friends. She grinned and stepped over to them before speaking in a fast whisper. 

“Prongs is a parseltongue, we found out at the dueling club, that’s why he can hear the Basilisk when it's moving, because it is a snake, which means Hagrid is innocent because he didn’t have a snake, he had a spider-”

“Oi!”

The marauders whipped around at the sound of a yell that was not Hermione’s. Wood was standing by the door, looking at Hannah and Harry expectantly. 

“It’s nearly eleven,” he shouted. “Let’s go, you two!” 

“Talk to us on the way,” Hannah said quickly as she bounded down more steps and followed Wood, the others close behind.

“So it is the Basilisk, now everything fits,” Hermione continued as they sped down the stairs. “It’s been getting around somehow… somehow…”

Hermione stared straight ahead as they walked onto the grass. The others kept quiet. They could practically hear the gears in her head turning. 

“Pipes,” Hermione whispered. 

“Pipes?” the other three chorused. 

“Yes, pipes,” Hermione said. “It’s been using the plumbing-”

At that very moment, Wood walked over to the group and pulled Harry and Hannah away. They made their way to the locker room unwillingly, glancing over their shoulders to see Hermione talking very fast to Ron, whose face had gone blank, which usually meant he was trying to understand something. 

They pushed into the locker room and changed into their quidditch robes, grabbing their brooms from the lockers as Wood opened the door and beckoned his team toward him. They walked out onto the field to tremendous applause, but Hannah and Harry felt shaky and nervous, trying to process the many people around them along with the information Hermione had just graced them with. As Wood sped off towards the goal posts for a warm-up flight and Madam Hooch released the balls, Harry felt more like throwing up than he had all morning. 

He was just glancing over to the team of Hufflepuffs and trying not to think about how their male seeker was probably even more attractive than Lockhart (which definitely didn’t help in the slightest) when Professor McGonagall came half-marching, half running across the pitch, carrying an enormous megaphone. 

Every heart in the stadium dropped like a stone when she lifted the megaphone up to her mouth and spoke. 

“This match has been canceled,” she said, addressing the crowd and players. There were boos and shouts. Wood, looking devastated, landed and ran toward Professor McGonagall without getting off his broomstick. 

“But, Professor!” he shouted. “We’ve got to play- the cup- _Gryffindor-”_

Professor McGonagall ignored him and continued to shout into the megaphone. 

“All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!” 

She lowered the microphone and walked away, leaving the two teams dumbstruck. Hannah and Harry followed Wood and the rest of the team back into the changing room, where they put up their brooms and left just before George asked Wood if he was doing okay and Wood exploded. They closed the door behind them as Wood’s yell of, “you can’t cancel quidditch!” filled the small room. 

Hermione and Ron were waiting out for them on the lawn and they ran over. 

“What do you think happened?” Hannah said as soon as she reached them. 

“I imagine another attack,” Hermione said, looking rather scared as they turned to walk back up to Gryffindor Tower. “Otherwise they wouldn’t have canceled the whole match-” 

The four friends walked together in silence, ignoring the people who were grumbling about the match being canceled and trying not to dwell on the more worried faces. 

They made it back up to the Tower in a matter of minutes, where they took their regular seats by the fire and sat, no one saying a word. The entire common room filled up slowly and everyone sat around, seemingly waiting for something. Exactly what became clear when Professor McGonagall climbed through the portrait hole and addressed them all grimly. 

“There has been another attack. A student, Penelope Clearwater, was found petrified by the library. To ensure the safety of all other students, a list of rules has been set in place. I will read them for you now,” she said as she took a small scroll of paper out of her pocket and unfurled it. She cleared her throat before reading aloud, “All students will return to their House common rooms by six o’clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further quidditch matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities.” 

The Gryffindors packed inside the common room all listened to her speak in silence. She rolled up the parchment, her face rather sad and solemn before she addressed them all personally. 

“I need hardly add that I have never been so distressed,” she said in a rather choked voice. “It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward.” 

Hannah looked down at the carpet around the fire, where the first years sat. She couldn’t see her face, but Ginny appeared to be rocking herself back and forth. Hannah frowned but looked back up to watch Minerva crawl somewhat awkwardly out of the portrait hole.

Hannah got up and stepped over several people without a second thought as the common room burst into chatter. She climbed out of the hole and landed on her feet, startling Minerva who jumped around, her hand placed on her chest. 

“Hannah, dear, you-”

“Professor,” Hannah interrupted, stepping up to Minerva. “I need to ask you a question, it’s going to sound weird but I need you to answer honestly, it’s super important.”

Minerva’s face hardened and she stood her ground. 

“Miss Lupin-”

“Was Penelope near anything that could’ve shown her reflection?” Hannah cut in. Minerva’s mouth fell open and she stuttered before speaking. 

“How-?”

“Professor, please,” Hannah begged. “I promise I’m not up to anything, I just really need to know.” 

Minerva sighed and reached up to rub the bridge of her nose like she was getting a headache. 

“Yes, Penelope had a mirror on her person. We found it on the floor next to her.”

Hannah grinned to herself before thanking Minerva and turning back around to crawl into the common room before she could ask any more questions. 

She walked back over to her three friends and took her previous seat, answering all of their puzzled faces as soon as she sat down. 

“Penelope had a mirror,” she said, and Hermione let out a breath of air. “I asked Minerva. She must’ve seen the Basilisk inside it. The monster still fits.” 

“Good?” Ron joked weakly. 

“Yes, good,” Hermione snapped. “Now we know for sure that it's not Hagrid... “ she spaced out as Ron mumbled something about it being a joke. “It’s a good thing Penelope had that mirror. She checked her reflection at the right moment, I suppose.” 

Hannah looked down at her hands and shifted in her seat uncomfortably. 

“Really good timing,” she grimaced. The other three felt the tension as well, as they realized exactly what would’ve happened to Penelope if she hadn’t chosen that exact moment to look in her mirror. 

“Penelope was a half-blood,” Hermione said in an undertone. “Not even fully Muggle-born. Whoever is doing this doesn’t care about who they get anymore.” 

“We have to do something,” Harry said grimly. “People are going to start dying soon if this doesn’t get cleared up.” 

Or the school will be shut down and he would be stuck at the Dursley's forever, Harry thought silently. 

“Well, what can we do?” Ron asked quietly. “We only know the monster. We’ve got no other ideas on how to get to it, or who’s doing it.” 

“Do you think Hagrid knows anything?” Hannah questioned. “We know he didn’t release the monster but… he was around the first time the Chamber was opened. Besides, they might be suspecting him anyway.” 

“We’ve got to go talk to him,” Harry said, making up his mind. “He’s the best shot we have besides McGonagall, and I don’t really fancy going to her with this.” 

The others nodded along, remembering the previous year when they’d gone to Minerva with all their information about Snape and the stone and she had insisted they should be minding their own. 

“But we can’t leave,” Hermione piped up suddenly. “McGonagall said we’ve got to stay up here-”

“We’ll take the cloak,” Harry said immediately. 

“And the map,” Hannah added. “Just in case.” 

They went to bed like everyone else, and at exactly twelve o’clock made their way back down the steps, Harry holding the cloak and Ron the map. Hannah and Hermione were waiting for them down in the common room, and as soon as they stepped down, Hermione grabbed the map from Ron and Hannah the cloak from Harry. They covered themselves with it, Ron crouching down a great deal so that his ankles didn’t show. Hermione positioned herself with the map and they were off. 

The journey through the dark and deserted castle corridors wasn’t enjoyable. The marauders, who had all wondered their fair share of the castle before, had never seen it this packed at night. Teachers, prefects, and ghosts were marching through the corridors in pairs, staring around for any unusual activity. 

The invisibility cloak, unfortunately, didn’t stop them from making any noise, and there was a tense moment in which Hannah paused a second too long at the sight of Snape keeping watch and Ron ended up jamming his toe trying to stop himself from bumping into her. Thankfully, Snape sneezed at the exact same time Ron swore, and they were able to keep walking without any awkward encounters. Harry shuddered to imagine exactly what would happen if Snape were to find him and Hannah wandering the corridors together with an invisibility cloak and an old map that showed everyone’s exact location. 

They reached the large oak front doors and pried them open carefully, Hermione keeping an eye on the map to make sure no one would walk by and see the door swinging open by itself. They stepped out into the night, all breathing sighs of relief. It was a clear, starry night, and the bright full moon lit the grass and made them very visible as they walked, forcing them to keep the cloak on. Hermione looked over at Hannah and frowned when she saw her head was down, forcibly not looking at the full moon. Hannah refused to make eye contact and Hermione turned back around just as they reached Hagrid’s hut and pulled off the cloak at his front door. 

Seconds after they had knocked, the door flung open. Hagrid stood above them, looking quite intimidating with his crossbow pointed right at their faces and Fang the boarhound barking behind him. 

“Hagrid!” Hermione gasped. 

“Oh,” he said, lowering his weapon and staring at them blankly. “What’re you four doin’ here?” 

“What’s that for?” Harry asked as Hagrid moved aside and they all stepped into the familiar hut, vaguely noticing the sound of a record player buzzing in the corner while they pushed Fang down as he tried to jump up and lick their faces. 

“Nothin’... nothin’...” Hagrid muttered. Hannah and Hermione shared a look as Hagrid shut the door. “I’ve been expectin’... doesn’ matter… sit down… I’ll make tea-” 

He hardly seemed to know what he was doing. The others sat awkwardly in their usual seats as he stumbled around, nearly extinguishing the fire, spilling water from the kettle on it, and then smashing a teapot with a jerk of his massive hand.

“Are you okay, Hagrid?” Harry asked. “Did you hear about the attack?” 

“Oh, I heard, all righ’,” Hagrid said, his nervousness clear in his phrasing. 

Hannah looked around at the record as Hagrid walked over to his kitchen and pulled four mugs down from one of the shelves. She smiled as she recognized the tune. 

“Looking Glass,” she smirked. “So you liked the Christmas present?”

“What-? Oh, yes. Very nice, thank you,” Hagrid mumbled as he bumped around and began to pour them boiling water, completely forgetting the tea bags. 

_‘Brandy wears a braided chain_

_Made of finest silver from the North of Spain_

_A locket that bears the name_

_Of the man that Brandy loved’_

“It’s a beautiful song,” Hannah commented as Hagrid sat the mugs of hot water down in front of them. “And a beautiful album. I just wish the message of this one wasn’t so sexist-”

“Not everything is sexist,” Ron grumbled. 

“Actually most things are, you just don’t realize because you're in a place of privilege,” Hermione corrected. 

“Okay, we don’t have to do this right now,” Harry said as Hagrid walked over with a slab of fruitcake. He was just setting it down on a plate when there was a loud knock on the door, and he dropped it. 

The marauders exchanged panicked looks before Ron thought to get them all up and throw the cloak over them, huddling back against the wall as Hagrid grabbed for his crossbow and opened the door. 

“Good evening, Hagrid,” Dumbledore said, calmly. He entered, looking deadly serious, and was shortly followed by a second, very odd-looking man. Ron, Hannah, and Hermione all drew in a breath at the sight of him. 

The stranger had rumpled grey hair and an anxious expression. He was wearing a very strange mixture of clothes: a pinstriped suit, a scarlet tie, a long black cloak, pointed purple boots, and a lime green bowler, which he carried underneath his arm. 

“That’s Dad’s boss,” Ron breathed. “Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic!” 

Harry elbowed Ron in the stomach at the same time Hannah stepped on his foot. 

Meanwhile, Hagrid had gone pale and sweaty. He dropped into one of his chairs and looked from Dumbledore to Cornelius Fudge, then back again. 

“Bad business, Hagrid,” Fudge said in a rather clipped tone. “Very bad business. Had to come. Three attacks on Muggle-borns. Things’ve gone far enough. The Ministry’s got to act.” 

“I never,” Hagrid said, looking imploringly at Dumbledore. “You know I never, Professor Dumbledor, sir-” 

“I want it understood, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full confidence,” Dumbledore said, growing at Fudge. There was an awkward pause where Fudge palmed the inside of his bowler hat nervously. 

_‘She could feel the ocean fall and rise_

_She saw its ragin' glory_

_But he had always told the truth, Lord, he was an honest man_

_And Brandy does her best to understand’_

“Look, Albus,” Fudge said, looking uncomfortable. “Hagrid-Hag- _oh, will you turn that off-?”_ he said, gesturing at the record player that was still humming its tune. Hagrid started to get up to switch it off but Dumbledore just flicked his wand at it, causing the music to stop immediately. 

“Thank you,” Fudge breathed before clearing his throat and continuing. “Well, you see… Hagrid’s record’s against him. Ministry’s got to do something… the school governors have been in touch-” 

“Yet again, Cornelius, I tell you that taking Hagrid away will not help in the slightest,” Dumbledore said. His blue eyes were full of a spitting fire that only Hannah and Hermione had seen before; when they had run into him on their way to take Ron to the hospital wing after the events with the chessboard. Dumbledore’s eyes were just as startling now as they were then, and Fudge seemed to crack slightly under his gaze. 

“Look at it from my point of view,” Fudge said, fidgeting with his bowler. “I’m under a lot of pressure. Got to be seen doing something. If it turns out it wasn’t Hagrid, he’ll be back and no more said. But I’ve got to take him, got to, wouldn’t be doing my duty-” 

“Take me?” Hagrid said, trembling slightly. Harry thought he felt Hannah tremble beside him too as she pieced what Fudge was saying together. "Take me where?” 

“For a short stretch only,” Fudge said, not meeting Hagrid’s eye and instead staring at his shoes. “Not a punishment, Hagrid, more a precaution. If someone else is caught, you’ll be let out with a full apology-”

“Not Azkaban?” Hagrid croaked. Harry wrapped an arm around Hannah as he spoke. She was definitely shaking. 

Before Fudge could answer, there was another loud rap on the door. Dumbledore answered it, and it was Harry’s turn for an elbow in the gut and a stomp on the foot, as he let out an audible gasp at the sight of Lucius Malfoy strolling into Hagrid’s hut, wearing a long black traveling cloak and a cold, false smile. 

“Already here, Fudge,” he said approvingly. “Good, good…”

“What’re you doin’ here?” Hagrid said furiously, rising up out of his seat. “Get outta my house!” 

“My dear man, please believe me, I have no pleasure at all being inside your… er… you call this a house?” Lucius said, sneering as he looked around the small cabin. “I simply called the school and was told that the headmaster was here.” 

“And what exactly do you want with me, Lucius?” Dumbledore asked. He spoke politely, but the fire was still blazing in his eyes. 

“Dreadful thing, Dumbledore,” Lucius said lazily, taking out a long roll of parchment, “but the governors feel it’s time for you to step aside. This is an Order of Suspension… you’ll find all twelve signatures on it. I’m afraid we feel you’re losing your touch-”

Lucius Malfoy’s voice turned into a dull roar in Hannah’s ears as she gulped and took a step back. Harry wrapped his arm further around her but she could hardly feel it. The thought of Hagrid being shipped off to Azkaban where her father was… and then Dumbledore leaving the school when it most needed him set a panic ablaze in Hannah’s chest that she could not really understand. She knew for a fact that most of her panic was for Hermione, who had already been in danger before but was sure to be at even more of a risk now that Dumbledore was leaving. Subconsciously, Hannah reached out and grabbed Hermione’s hand, giving it a squeeze which was returned immediately. 

_Nothing will happen to her, I will not let it, nothing will happen to her, I will not let it, nothing will happen to her-_

A shout from Hagrid shook Hannah out of her thoughts and she snapped back to reality just in time to hear:

“-the Muggle-borns won’t stand a chance! There’ll be killin’ next!” 

Hermione’s hand tightened in Hannah’s. 

“Calm yourself, Hagrid,” Dumbledore said sharply before looking over at Lucius. “If the governors want my removal, Lucius, I shall, of course, step aside-”

“But-” Fudge stammered. 

“No!” Hagrid growled. 

But Dumbledore had not taken his bright blue eyes off Lucius Malfoy’s grey ones, and Lucius finally seemed intimidated by the gaze. He jumped slightly when Dumbledore spoke again. 

“However,” he said, speaking very slowly and clearly so that none of them could miss a word, “you will find that I will only have truly left the school when none here are loyal to me. You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.” 

For a split second, Harry was sure that Dumbledore’s eyes had flickered over toward the corner where the marauders stood hidden. 

“Admiral sentiment,” Lucius said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he bowed. “We shall all miss your… er… highly individual way of running things, Albus, and only hope that your successor will manage to prevent any… ah… _killins_.” 

He strode to the cabinet door, opened it, and bowed Dumbledore out. Fudge, still fiddling with his bowler hat, waited for Hagrid to go ahead of him, but Hagrid stood his ground, took a deep breath, and said carefully, “If anyone wanted ter find out some stuff, all they’d have ter do would be ter follow the spiders. That’d lead ‘em right! That’s all I’m sayin’.” 

Fudge stared at him in amazement and Hagrid cleared his throat awkwardly before pulling on his moleskin coat. But just before he followed Fudge out of the door, he stopped again and said loudly, “An’ someone’ll need to feed Fang while I’m away.” 

And he shut the door behind him with a slam, leaving Fang to whine and scratch at the closed door. 

Ron tore the cloak off of the four of them and folded it up in his arms as he walked over to the window and checked to see how far away they were from the cabin. 

“Shit,” he mumbled under his breath. “With Dumbledore gone, the Muggle-borns don’t stand a chance. There’ll be an attack a day.” 

The others remained silent, and Harry walked over to the window to stare out at the group of men walking towards the iron gates. They reached it, crossed to the other side, and disappeared out of sight. 

“We’d better go,” Harry said, beckoning the others over as he opened the door. They threw the cloak and opened up the map as they stepped out into the night sky, making their way back to the castle. 

“We have to save him,” Hannah said shakily as they walked. Harry looked over and was not at all surprised to see tears streaming down her cheeks. “We have to save Hagrid, he can’t be locked up in a place like that, he doesn’t deserve it.” 

“How can we save him?” Ron asked hopelessly. “We don’t even know where to start. Now we can’t even ask anyone else for outside help, all the teachers moping about like they are-”

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks and the others were forced to stop as well, or accidentally reveal her. 

“Moony?” Hannah sniffed. 

“Pipes,” Hermione whispered. 

“What?” 

“The Basilisk has been using the pipes to get around, we already figured that out,” Hermione answered. 

“Well, technically that was just you-”

“So it’s using the bathrooms,” she continued. “What if it’s using a certain bathroom? With a certain ghost inside?”

“Not-” Harry started. 

“The girl who died fifty years ago,” Hermione said, “what if she never left Hogwarts?”

“You don’t mean Moaning Myrtle?” Hannah questioned, gazing at Hermione through the moonlight. Her friend’s face gave all the answer she needed, and Hannah was convinced in a split second. 

“We’ll go tomorrow,” she said. “And talk to Myrtle.” 

Hannah did not sleep that night, as she usually did the night of full moons. But this time, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all lay awake in their separate beds as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Brandy by Looking Glass  
> 


	29. Leaving On A Jet Plane - Year Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Sirius has a flashback of the night the Potter's were killed. All from his POV, so please don't read if you're feeling down. It's the few long paragraphs in italics if you want to skip it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the Chamber of Secrets  
> CW for mild gore, dead bodies.

There were very few words that could describe the feeling of living in a place like Azkaban. If you were to ask any of the prisoners inside exactly what it was like, you’d be unlikely to get a very detailed description. Pain, maybe. Cold, if you were lucky. But the exact experience could not be put into simple words. The very walls seemed to be laced with the horrors each of its prisoners were forced to relive every day. The dementors glided past the cells, bringing cold and retching awful memories out of their burial points in the prisoner’s minds. It was inhumane. It was cruel. There were people inside who had committed no more than petty theft, and were now being forced to relive their worst experiences for weeks at a time.

The effect spread to Sirius, of course, just like it did everyone else. But it was not processed the same way. For the most part, Sirius was not in his human body, and therefore did not process things with a human mind. He spent his time jailed in his dog form and therefore was able to block out his worst memories when the dementors passed. And Sirius Black’s worst memories were no laughing matter. It was a good thing he had this privilege. It was a good thing Remus had kept his mouth shut about it, otherwise, Sirius might very well have been as insane as his cousin, who was a few cells down.

Sometimes Sirius wondered if Remus was dead. It didn’t make sense to him that he hadn’t told the ministry, and that Sirius didn’t have some sort of restriction on transforming. Could he be dead, and unable to tell? Or was he the same Remus Sirius had always known, who had it in his nature to protect those who hurt him, as long as he loved them?

Sirius knew first hand what that felt like. He had never really earned Remus’ trust back from what he’d done to him their fifth year. He could see that clearly now. It had always been more about the relief for Remus. He didn’t want to be angry or hold anything against anyone. He wanted to forgive and move past it. But wanting something and being able to do something were two very different things.

They’d built their relationship after the prank, maybe that had been why it had always seemed so rocky. Sirius truly believed that if he’d never used Remus like that, he wouldn’t be in prison today. Because then Remus wouldn’t have ever believed him capable of doing the thing he was now imprisoned for, and he would’ve done something to get him out. Or wrote him letters… some of the other prisoners got letters. Sirius never had. But it was fair. Sirius had proved himself capable of the worst that full moon night their fifth year, and it made sense for Remus to have just accepted his fate.

Sirius often found himself wishing that Remus had moved on. It hurt to think about… Remus with someone that was not him. But above all, Sirius wanted him happy. He’d never put anyone before himself when he’d been out of prison, that had been another one of the things he'd realized. Now was the perfect time to be selfless, was it not? The perfect time to stay away. Not that he had much say in the matter.

However, two things did not let this decision sit right in Sirius’ mind, and they were very simple. Hannah and Harry.

He’d never really met them. He didn’t know how they were doing, what they looked like, or who they’d grown up to be. Sirius knew that neither of them probably had any desire whatsoever to meet him, but he did. He wanted to see his daughter, to know what she was like. If she needed any help, if she knew about him. If her other father was still there for her. He wanted to see James and Lily’s son, to know what he was like and how he’d been living. He remembered him being identical to James’ old baby pictures. He wondered if he still looked like James.

He’d left things so broken.

This constant battle raged in Sirius’ mind. Even in dog form, he could feel his emotions bouncing around.

_Remus or the kids? Remus or the kids? Remus or the kids?_

Remus would want him to stay away. When he thought about it enough, he knew that the kids would probably want the same thing. But selflessness had never been one of Sirius’ best traits, try as he might. He fought himself constantly, trapped in his little cell, silver eyes glossing over as he traced the marks for each full moon he’d put down on the wall. Sirius had no idea what to do with himself. Which is why the company he received was far more than welcome.

For the most part, Sirius got to stay in dog form. The dementors that passed his cell did not think much of him, just assumed that his livelihood had died like everyone else’s in the godforsaken building. But when the dementors brought guests with them, human ones, Sirius was forced to change back so they wouldn’t see a dog in his place. Three times this had happened, and each time he’d blacked out at the overwhelming feeling of being in such close proximity with a dementor after so long with his senses turned off.

The night Hagrid was brought to the cell right across from Sirius’ was his fourth time blacking out. He hadn’t heard the small group of three men and two dementors coming and had very little time to pop back into his human form. He switched just in time for the dementors that led the group to glide past his stall, and the effect was immediate. Cold swept over Sirius’s body and he felt his consciousness start to slip away. Panicking, knowing what he was about to see, Sirius tried to grab onto the stone floor to keep himself up but the rock was slippery and damp with his sweat and his fingers scraped away at nothing as his head hit the back wall and a familiar white noise filled his ears. The last thing he saw was a pair of bright blue eyes staring him down, giving him the vague feeling of being x-rayed.

_He knew what had happened before the wheels of his motorcycle even touched the grass of the Potter’s front lawn. His wand had set him off in the middle of the night, regrettably waking Remus and Hannah as well as him, letting him know that the Fidelius charm had been broken. It had been an extra precaution, but one Lily had requested specifically._

_Sirius took in the right side of the house and its blown away portion, right where Harry’s room had been, and immediately plummeted toward the ground, for once not caring to sit up his motorcycle before leaving it on the front lawn. The front door was open; Sirius could see the light spilling out onto the grass around him. White panic buzzed in his ears and he ran flat out towards the door and froze in the doorframe when he reached it, a sick feeling like bile rising in his throat as he saw the image that would live in his dreams for years after._

_James Potter was sprawled out on his back, eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling with his limbs thrown messily about around him, as if he’d fallen without a choice. Sirius made a funny sound between a sob and a laugh as he sunk to his knees and crawled over to James, picking him up by his shoulders and shaking him as his head lolled._

_“Shit, Prongs… hey… get up…” There was a great buzzing sound in Sirius’ ears as he shook his friend and refused to believe what he knew. Every word choked out of Sirius’ throat like a sob until he finally caved and grabbed James’ slim shoulders, pulling them towards his chest as he cried like he’d never cried before._

_It hurt like nothing he'd ever felt before. He would've preferred death for himself, over this. James had been everything to Sirius. He'd been a friend, a home... everything. Sirius fully believed that he would've never made it out of the Black family house alive if it hadn't been for James. He'd been there for him through the worst of his decisions, through his worst moments, and had still loved him just the same._

_Sirius Black thought he knew real pain. But until the moment where he held his best friend in his arms and James Potter didn’t move or make a sound, Sirius had known only a fraction of it._

_“N-n-no…” Sirius sobbed, quietly at first, but then louder. “N-no. No. NO!”_

_His screams carried up the stairs and echoed around the once beautiful Potter home. There was music playing, too, coming from the living room, but Sirius had no mind for it. In his haze, he’d heard a cry back, coming from up the stairs and he was shaken out of his grief-induced stupor at the thought of Lily and Harry still being alive._

_Shaking, he leaned James back down on the ground and shut his eyes with two fingers, seeing the warm chocolate brown color for the last time before fixing his glasses from their sloped position on his face. He stood up and started towards the stairs, mumbling to himself as he went._

_“S’alright… everything is fine… he’s fine… she’s gonna be fine…”_

_Unsteady on his feet, he tripped over almost every stair as he climbed them and made his way up. He knew he should call out to Lily, do more than just cry over James which had to be what she was doing but he couldn’t bring himself to make any noise except the blind reassurance as he walked. He wiped his nose and tears away on the leather jacket he’d thrown on before leaving Remus alone, hardly realizing the full weight of what he’d done as he got upstairs and headed towards Harry’s bedroom, where he could hear the boy’s sniffles and whines. The sound came as a relief to Sirius, who’d been thinking the worst when he’d seen Harry’s room blown away. The assurance of Harry being alive sped Sirius up a little, and he made it inside Harry’s room without tripping again._

_The door was caved in on the other side, swinging creakily off its hinges. Sirius pushed it aside and stepped in the room, freezing immediately as his eyes fell on the red-haired woman that lay sprawled out on the ground similarly to her husband, but on her stomach with her eyes shut tight._

_Sirius fell to the ground again and reached over to Lily, brushing her hair out of her face with shaking hands and crying harder than he ever thought possible._

_“Oh… Lils… n-no…”_

_Lily remained still and silent, her face starkly pale against the bright red of her hair. It felt like Sirius’ world had been ripped out from under him. He loved Lily and James more than he loved himself, comparably as much as he loved Remus and Hannah._

_A whine from the crib above him snapped him once again out of his stupor and he looked up to see Harry staring down at him, chubby fists clutching the bars of his crib as tears wet his eyes. Harry had a bright red scar that looked like it had been branded into his forehead standing livid on his light brown skin. Sirius’ eyes widened and he stood up away from Lily to reach over to Harry’s crib._

_What Harry had done, what he’d caused did not register with Sirius as the innocent baby stared up at him with familiar green eyes and stood shakily in his crib, holding the stuffed brown stag that Sirius had bought him what seemed like years ago._

_“Pa’foo’... up…” Harry ordered as he raised his hands to his godfather and Sirius obliged, picking Harry up out of his crib and turning to step over Lily and walk out of the door. Harry looked down at his mother and pointed._

_“Mumma… up… up... please…” Harry said, stretching out the syllables on the last word and expecting praise for remembering the term. Sirius just shook silently and kept walking and Harry whined slightly but allowed himself to be taken out of the room and away from his mother. Sirius walked them both down the stairs, eyes completely dry as he went into a state of shock and anger. He barely felt his feet under him as he walked down the stairs and steeled himself for what he knew had to be done._

_When they reached James, Harry leaned over and laughed._

_“Daddy fell down! Daddy up, Pa’foo’... make daddy up…”_

_Sirius hardly heard him. He turned and walked out of the door and into the night, heading straight towards his motorbike to drop Harry off with Remus before he went and did what he had to do. At least now he knew his assumption about Remus had been wrong…_

_“Oi! You there!”_

_Sirius reached for his wand and made to put Harry behind him before he recognized the figure and calmed, lowering his guard and pulling Harry back up around his waist. Hagrid came towards them… shaky and pale as he took in the state of the Potter house and Harry in Sirius’ arms. Sirius looked over Hagrid’s shoulder and saw the knight bus whip around the corner and disappear from sight._

_“Sirius… what-” Hagrid started but Sirius cut him off._

_“What are you doing here, Hagrid?” Sirius asked firmly, demeanor cold from setting his intentions. Hagrid pushed out his chest._

_“Dumbledore sent me. Told me ter get Harry an’ bring him to live with his Aunt and Uncle,” he said. Sirius almost laughed._

_“His Aunt and Uncle..? Hagrid, no. I’m his godfather. Take him to Remus and Hannah,” Sirius said, deciding if he could have someone to drop Harry off first it would make things a lot easier for his task._

_“Sorry, Sirius,” Hagrid said. “Dumbledore’s orders.”_

Don’t do it.

_Sirius frowned at Hagrid’s demeanor, realizing he wasn’t leaving without Harry. Sirius supposed he could always go and fetch Harry once he was done with Peter… Harry would live with that horrid woman and her walrus of a husband over Sirius’ dead body._

_“Alright then,” Sirius said, handing Harry off to Hagrid, who seemed surprised by the sudden change of attitude. Harry whined at his godfather, twisting in Hagrid’s arms to look at Sirius and stretch a hand out to him._

Hold him. Take him back. Leave Peter and go home.

_Hagrid shifted Harry’s weight around on him and made to turn around to call the knight bus again. Sirius frowned, thinking of all the death eaters that would be around that night._

_“Hagrid, wait!” Sirius called and Hagrid turned around, raising his eyebrows at him. “Take my bike.”_

_“Yer bike?” Hagrid questioned and Sirius nodded._

_“Yes, it’ll be faster and out of the way and I won’t be needing it,” Sirius said and Hagrid looked at him curiously for a second before turning over to the bike and mounting it. Sirius helped Hagrid hold Harry in a sling around his waist, ignoring the little boy’s cries for the stuffed stag that Sirius had no clue was stuffed in his pocket._

_Before taking off, Hagrid paused._

_“Are you sure yer alrigh’, mate?” Hagrid asked with concerned eyes. “I know you were real close-”_

_“I’m fine, Hagrid,” Sirius said, trying to ignore the way his voice cracked. “Just make sure you bring the bike back to Remus and Hannah.”_

_“Sirius, why-”_

_“Please, Hagrid,” Sirius said, his voice laced with pain and impatience. Hagrid made a sympathetic face before putting his foot on the gas and starting to take off._

Stop him.

_Hagrid pushed a button on the handle and the bike flew up into the air, leaving Sirius standing by himself and looking up at it disappearing into the night sky. He snapped himself out of it and stuck his wand out into the street, making the knight bus appear and looking up at the ticket inspector as he greeted him._

_“Where to?” the wizened old man asked him after introducing himself._

The memory cut off and faded to black as the cold feeling in Sirius’ lungs subsided.

He woke up a few minutes later, groaning and pushing himself up against the wall to have something to lean on as he pressed a hand to the back of his head. It stung right in the place where he’d hit it at Peter’s house so many years ago. How ironic.

He made it to the wall and sighed, trying to catch his breath. A hitch of what sounded like a sob from across the hall caught his attention, and his head snapped up to see the large man in the cell opposite his who was crying deeply into his hands. Excitement, for the first time in years, grew in Sirius’ chest as he pushed himself closer to the bars of his cell. He knew this man.

“Hagrid?” Sirius said, his voice cracking from lack of use. Realizing he was barely speaking in a whisper, Sirius cleared his throat and tried again, “Hagrid?”

Hagrid jerked slightly and slowly raised his head out of his hands to glower at Sirius.

“Don’ you fuckin’ speak ter me,” he growled. Sirius remained unphased, glowing in the fact that he was near someone he knew.

“Hagrid, why are you here?” he asked. Hagrid just sniffled quietly and put his head back in his hands, ignoring Sirius.

But he was relentless.

They were right next to each other, they had to talk at some point. Sirius told Hagrid this several times over the hours they spent in such close proximity. Slowly, but surely, Hagrid lowered his guard at the pleading nature in Sirius’ voice. He didn’t speak to him, just stared him down as Sirius begged him to talk. This went on for exactly two days, though neither man had the ability to keep that kind of time.

Sirius didn’t try to tell Hagrid he was innocent. He knew very well that trying to talk himself out of it would only send Hagrid into a rage. And that would prevent him from getting the information he needed.

“Just tell me,” Sirius pleaded. “You don’t have to tell me why you’re here; we don’t have to be friends… but please, Hagrid, I need to know.”

“You got no fuckin’ righ’ ter know,” Hagrid snarled. Sirius still perked up. It was the first words he’d spoken since their initial encounter.

“I know, I know,” Sirius said, pressing his forehead against the bars of the cell. “I know. I know more than you know. But… please. Just tell me. I won’t stop asking, I won’t leave you alone, no matter how long you’re here.”

Hagrid’s face screwed up and he looked almost on the verge of tears as he sighed and lowered himself to the cell floor. He propped his back up against the end wall so he and Sirius were facing each other. Sirius sat forward in his cell, pushing himself as close to the bars as he could get. The bottom latch creaked and almost buckled against his weight. Sirius didn’t notice; Hagrid was going to speak.

He knew that it would work eventually. Hagrid was far more susceptible to the dementors’ power than Sirius was at the moment, and if there was anything that Sirius was good at, it was bugging someone until they gave him what he wanted.

“Fine,” Hagrid croaked. A single tear rolled down his cheek. So much for selflessness, Sirius thought guiltily as he sat up even further on the bars and prepared his questions. The questions that had been running through his head for eleven years.

“Is she at school?” he asked quietly. Hagrid gave a slow nod. Sirius felt anticipation grow in his chest. “Is she- all right? Do you know?”

Hagrid snorted.

“As far as I can tell. No thanks ter you, o’ course.”

Sirius nodded slowly, like he was still trying to process this confirmation on his daughter’s existence.

“Remus? Is he alive?” he said once he straightened back up. A flicker of emotion crossed Hagrid’s face and Sirius felt his heart drop.

“He’s alive, yeah,” Hagrid sniffed. “But he’s not the same.”

Sirius nodded again, expecting this much. Tears were forming in his eyes but he pressed on.

“And Harry? What about Harry?”

Hagrid almost smiled.

“He’s fine. Won’t tell yer more than you need ter know abou’ him, but he’s fine.”

Sirius breathed out a sigh of relief, still nodding slowly to himself while Hagrid shifted in his position on the floor, like he wanted to stop himself from saying what he was about to say.

“They’re friends,” he blurted out, and Sirius looked up with an odd expression, like he didn’t dare to believe what Hagrid had said.

“What?”

“Harry… an’ Hannah. They’re friends. Best friends, really. They come an’ visit me at my house… an’ they’re good friends. They didn’ need you ter do it, either.”

The tears that had formed in Sirius’ eyes before were now rolling down his cheeks. He almost smiled.

“They’re… friends. Wow.”

Hagrid said nothing. Sirius looked up again, hope burning in his eyes.

“Are they in Gryffindor?”

Hagrid sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah. Both of ‘em.”

Over the hours, Sirius pressed Hagrid for more and more information. He asked about Remus, Hannah, Harry, Andromeda… even Minerva. Every question that had been in his head for the past few years he spat out at the man who had once been his friend. Hagrid was weak, succumbed to the numbness the dementors eventually gave you. He answered every question honestly.

Twice the dementors passed their hall, and Sirius was forced to relive the worst memory. He always managed to push himself back up, though, and wake Hagrid up as well to ask him more questions.

“How does she do in school?”

“Fine, says Minerva.”

“Is she on the quidditch team?”

“Yeah, so’s Harry. He plays seeker, she plays chaser.”

“Where has Remus been going for the full moons?”

“Bloody hell if I know.”

“Is he seeing anyone else?”

“No. Like I said, he’s not the same.”

“Does he have new scars?”

“Yeah.”

“He doesn’t go to Pomfrey for them?”

“Don’ think so.”

“Is he happy?”

Hagrid sighed, throwing his head back against the wall.

“I don’ think so. He seems happy when he’s with Hannah. That’s abou’ it.”

At night, when Hagrid slept, Sirius changed back into his dog form. But he did not go to sleep.

He stayed up, letting all this new information process in his mind. Remus was alive, Hannah and Harry were friends… it was more than he had hoped for. Guilt consumed him, of course, when it came to Remus. His peace from guilt came when he changed, and he was able to just sit with all the information he had. But when the morning came and Hagrid woke, Sirius had to push himself back up into his human form.

It was exhausting, he hated it. He hated having feelings, but he needed to ask questions. And he couldn’t risk Hagrid seeing him in his Animagus form.

Neither man could tell you exactly how long they repeated this routine. Time ran together in one giant blur when you lived in a place like Azkaban.

**

With the new information of who they needed to speak to resting on their shoulders, the marauders grew restless upon finding how strictly the new rules were being enforced. With Dumbledore gone, fear had spread across the castle in waves, leaving everyone restless and jumpy. Hardly any of the faces that filled the school didn’t look worried and tense, and any laughter that rang through the corridors sounded shrill and unnatural and always ended abruptly. 

The dreadful mood spread to the teachers as well. For the most part, the teachers all enforced the new security with a passion and were determined to keep every child in their line of vision at all times. Teachers were required to walk children from class to class, and no student was allowed a bathroom break. They simply had to wait until after the school day. Prefects had it worst of all, having the task of rounding everyone up in the common room before walking them all down to the Great Hall together as a house. It looked very odd, a hundred students or so walking bunched up together as their designated prefects and Head Boy and Girl led the way to breakfast.

The marauders hated it. They were never alone, and never had any time to even think about slipping off to the girl’s bathroom to have a word with Moaning Myrtle. All bathrooms were completely closed besides the ones inside their separate dorms. It was a nightmare, especially for Hannah, who had not been sleeping much since Hagrid’s arrest.

It seemed to have taken quite a great toll on her, which was understandable, considering who Hagrid was now sharing a building with. Hannah lay awake at night, wondering what was happening to him. She’d heard of dementors from Remus and thought that the idea of Hagrid being locked up with such terrible creatures was awful. He didn’t deserve it. Sirius did, but he didn’t.

The days were awful for everyone involved. Everyone, except, one Draco Malfoy. He alone seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the tension and overall terror-filled atmosphere that was now Hogwarts. He strutted around the castle like he’d just been made head boy, but it was not until two weeks after the initial incident with Hagrid that the four friends found out exactly why he was so happy.

They were in potions together, the marauders sharing a table right behind Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy. It seemed that Pansy and Draco were back on good terms. After Pansy had returned from her Christmas break, the entirety of the Great Hall had gotten to hear the row she and Draco had shared. He'd insisted that she’d come back for Christmas and then disappeared, she'd thought he was mad. It had been very entertaining but unfortunately seemed to have cooled down, and the two Slytherins were back to strutting around the hall of Hogwarts shoulder to shoulder. They had also gone back to figuring out exactly how to piss off the four Gryffindors behind them.

“I always thought Father might be the one who got rid of Dumbledore,” Draco said to Pansy boastfully, not bothering to keep his voice down as it echoed around the packed dungeon. “I told you he thinks Dumbledore’s the worst headmaster the school’s ever had. Maybe we’ll get a decent headmaster now. Someone who won’t want the Chamber of Secrets closed. McGonagall won’t last long; she’s only filling in-“

“I am going to take this ladle,” Hannah mumbled to the other three. “And shove it so far up-“

“Sir,” Draco said loudly. Snape had walked past his table. “Sir, why don’t you apply for the headmaster’s job?”

Hermione gave an involuntary twitch of disgust and Ron, Harry, and Hannah stifled their laughs.

“Now, now, Malfoy,” Snape said through a thin-lipped smile. “Professor Dumbledore has only been suspended by the governors. I daresay he’ll be back with us soon enough.”

“Yeah, right,” Draco smirked. “I expect you’d have Father’s vote, sir, if you wanted to apply for the job. I’ll tell Father you’re the best teacher here, sir-“

Snape sneered as he swept off around the dungeon, fortunately not spotting Seamus, who was pretending to vomit into his cauldron, or Lavender, who practically had her head between her knees in an attempt to stop giggling.

“I’m quite surprised the Mudbloods haven’t all packed their bags by now,” Draco went on. “Bet you five Galleons the next one dies. Personally, I’m hoping for Granger-“

The bell ringing distracted everyone else from Ron and Hannah’s mutual attempts to get to Draco. Dean and Harry took the task of holding Ron, while Neville and Hermione grabbed Hannah.

“Oh, stop, it’s not worth it,” Hermione hissed as their awkward groups scrambled around.

“Let me at him,” Ron growled as Harry and Dean hung onto his arms. “I don’t care, I don’t need my wand, I’m going to kill him with my bare hands-“

“Stupid… fucking… prick-“ Hannah added. Lavender, Seamus, and Parvati made it over in time to get Hannah and Ron to calm themselves before Snape spoke.

“Hurry up, I’ve got to take you all to Herbology,” he barked over everyone’s heads. Hannah tugged Neville and Hermione off, promising not to touch Draco, but Ron still had to be held back by Harry and Dean as they walked through the halls.

Hannah looked over to see Hermione smiling slightly to herself about Ron’s defensive nature. She grinned and nudged her with a shoulder.

“When are we going to talk about it, ‘Mione?”

“I’ve got no idea what you’re on about.”

“Oh, piss off, I know you. Just say it.”

“Fine. Maybe a little bit.”

Hannah grinned, delighted with herself.

“That’s not good enough, say the words. I wanna hear it. I’ve got this tape recorder in my pocket, see-“

“Shut it,” Hermione laughed, playfully pushing Hannah as they walked out of the castle and across the vegetable patch toward the greenhouses. Dean and Harry had finally deemed it safe enough to let Ron go, though he still seemed rather grumpy.

“Come on, say it!” Hannah carried on in a whisper. “Say you’ve got a crush on someone who’s legal name is _Ronald-“_

“Oi!” Ron yelled over his shoulder as Hermione spluttered. “You’ve got my name in your mouth, Lupin.”

“Just admiring your bravado, Mr. Weasley,” Hannah grinned cheekily. Ron rolled his eyes.

Harry looked over his shoulder and smiled at Hannah, who winked at him. Why this made him blush furiously, he couldn’t really say, but he was happy that his friend could still joke. The last few weeks had been hard for Hannah, he knew. She wanted Hagrid out of prison more than anything… they just hadn’t been able to do anything about it.

There had been one night where they’d planned to sneak down together with the cloak and the map, but it hadn’t worked out. Hannah and Hermione had stayed up in the boy’s dormitory, presenting the “falling asleep while doing homework, if you try to move me I’ll bite you” façade to Dean, Neville, and Seamus. But once the other boy’s snores filled the room and the four marauders had gotten up to tiptoe down the stairs, they’d been met by Percy Weasley and Jania McDonald, the prefects of their year, who were watching over the common room to make sure no one left. Since they couldn’t have the portrait hole randomly swing open without raising any questions, they’d been forced to walk back up to bed. Hermione and Hannah had slept in the boy’s dormitory for real that night. Ron had taken the floor and had let Hermione have his bed, and Harry had done the same for Hannah.

But halfway through the night, Harry had been woken by the sound of crying coming from his bed. He’d sat up and immediately Hannah had started wiping her eyes.

“Sorry, Prongs, did I wake you?”

“No,” he’d lied as he straightened up and crawled into his bed. “This all right?”

“Yeah, ‘course.”

They’d been facing each other, heads on the same pillow. Harry had been able to feel the wet spot Hannah’s tears had left on his pillowcase. His heart had been drumming in his chest, being that close, but she’d been crying… there wasn’t much else to do.

“What’s wrong?”

“What if… this never gets solved? And Hagrid’s stuck in Azkaban forever?”

“That won’t happen.”

“How do you know?”

“Because, we’re going to solve this. I promise.”

She’d gotten quiet then, so Harry had decided to reach over into his nightstand and grab the Walkman he’d gotten from Remus for Christmas. He’d given one of the earbuds to Hannah and put one in his own ear as well.

“This has been my favorite,” he’d said as he switched it on and one of Remus’ chosen tracks spun on. Hannah had smiled to herself in the dark as she recognized the tune.

_‘All my bags are packed_

_I'm ready to go_

_I'm standin' here outside your door_

_I hate to wake you up to say goodbye’_

“I really love you…” Hannah had sniffed. “I’d always hoped we’d be friends.”

Harry hadn’t known what else to say to that, so he’d just told her he loved her too, which seemed to make her happy. As she closed her eyes and let the rest of the song play out, Harry had realized how much he’d meant it. No one had ever been this close to him before. He realized then that he loved all of them. Ron and Hermione as well. Friends had been all he’d ever wanted. Who cared how much of the school hated him, he had his friends.

_'Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane_

_Don't know when I'll be back again_

_Oh babe, I hate to go’_

Harry’s side of the pillow had grown wet with tears as well by the time the song ended and he’d fallen asleep.

While Hannah and Harry hadn’t talked about this interaction, Harry liked to think that he’d helped her cheer up in some way. She’d certainly been able to go back to joking since then, he thought to himself as they entered the greenhouse and Hannah exclaimed loudly about how similar the dragon dung fertilizer and Ron’s feet smelled.

Their Herbology class was still very subdued with Justin gone, and for the most part, they worked on pruning their Abyssian Shrivelfigs in silence. It wasn’t until Harry dropped his pruning shears and bent down to pick it up did they speak again. 

Harry shot up after a few seconds on the ground to whack Ron over the head with his shears.

“Ouch! What’re you-“

Harry pointed at the ground and Ron’s eyes widened. On the other side of the table, Hannah and Hermione looked over as well.

Several large spiders were scuttling over the ground on the other side of the glass, moving in an unnaturally straight line as though taking the shortest route to a prearranged meeting.

“We’re not following them, Harry,” Hermione snapped. Relief flooded through Ron’s face as Harry frowned. “We don’t need to. I’m sorry, but Hagrid was the one with a giant spider in a box. I’m not following any tiny spiders if they’re going to lead me to a big one.”

Ron shivered.

“We know the information we need is from Myrtle,” Hermione carried on. “We need to be focusing on her, not on spiders.”

“I agree with Moony,” Ron said quickly.

“’Course you do,” Harry said grumpily as he turned back to his plant. But he had to admit Hermione had a point. Hagrid meant the world to Harry but he wasn’t always in tune with what went on around him. Maybe it was best if they just stuck to what they knew.

Their next class was Lockhart’s, which Professor Sprout walked them to. Hermione and Harry were still bickering about the spiders by the time they’d found their seats and sat down.

“Dunno why he’s so pressed about it,” Hannah whispered to Ron as they sat. “We were in the forest together last year, it’s nothing you’d want to go back to-“

Lockhart bounded into the room, cutting off Hannah’s sentence as the class turned to stare at him. Every other teacher in the place was looking grimmer than usual, but Lockhart appeared nothing short of buoyant.

“Come on now,” he cried, beaming around him. “Why all the long faces?”

The marauders swapped exasperated looks but didn’t bother answering.

“Don’t you people realize,” Lockhart said, speaking slowly, like they were all just late on the uptake, “the danger has passed! The culprit has been taken away-“

“Says who?” Dean said loudly.

“My dear young man, the Minister of Magic wouldn’t have taken Hagrid if he hadn’t been one hundred percent sure that he was guilty,” Lockhart said in the tone of someone explaining that one plus one made two.

“Oh, yes he would,” Ron said, even louder than Dean.

“I flatter myself to know a touch more about Hagrid’s arrest than you do, Mr. Weasley,” Lockhart said in a self-satisfied tone. Ron started to say he didn’t think so but stopped midsentence when Hannah kicked him hard under the desk.

“We weren’t there, remember?” Harry whispered from across the table. Ron shook his head begrudgingly and spent the rest of the class staring at his feet. Hannah put her head in her arms and went to sleep while Hermione scribbled down notes of God knows what, as Lockhart spent the majority of the class blabbering on about how he’d always thought Hagrid was up to no good, and how sure he was that the situation was over. By the time the bell rang, Harry was longing to throw his copy of _Gadding with Ghouls_ at Lockhart’s face.

**

While no one was more down about the current predicament than the marauders, in their Transfiguration lesson just a few days later, the entire classes mood was dampened even further; almost to the point where they were able to stop thinking about the Chamber of Secrets for the first time in weeks. Ten minutes after the late bell, McGonagall informed them their exams would start on the first of June, one week from today.

Hannah’s head hit her desk with a thump. Hermione gave an excited squeal. Ron looked like he’d been sentenced to life in Azkaban, and Harry had been staring off into space and not paying attention. When he noticed the buzzing of the class, he sat up straight.

“Wait, what?” he asked groggily. They’d been up late with the map the night before, trying to find a window where the prefects were gone from the common room with no luck.

 _“Exams?”_ Seamus howled in response. “We’re still getting _exams?”_

There was a loud bang behind the four friend’s shared table and they looked around to see that Neville’s wand had slipped and he’d accidentally vanished one of the legs of his desk. Professor McGonagall restored it with a wave of her wand before turning, frowning, to Seamus.

“The whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education,” she said sternly. “The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all studying hard.”

Studying hard?!?!

There was a great deal of muttering around the room which made Professor McGonagall scowl darkly. But Ron couldn’t remember the last time his wand had performed a spell correctly, Harry hadn’t picked up a book in weeks unless he’d been told to in class, Hannah spent more time looking at the marauder's map for spaces to run to the bathroom than she did in school, and Hermione… well, Hermione was her usual self.

“I think it’s brilliant we’re still taking them, Professor,” Hermione beamed over the grumbling.

“Thank you, Miss Granger,” Professor McGonagall said, the corners of her lips twitching slightly. However, once she saw that the rest of the class was still not sharing Hermione’s take on the exams, she cleared her throat and spoke again. “Professor Dumbledore’s instructions were to keep the school running as normally as possible,” she said. “And that, I need hardly point out, means finding out how much you have learned this year.”

Harry looked down at the pair of white rabbits he was supposed to be turning into slippers. What had he learned so far this year? He couldn’t seem to think of anything that would be useful in an exam.

“I haven’t learned shit this year,” Hannah groaned, voicing Harry’s exact thoughts as she buried her head in her hands.

“Never mind learning shit,” Ron snapped. “Can you imagine me taking exams with this?” he asked the others as he held up his wand, which had just started whistling loudly.

“It’ll work fine when the time comes,” Hermione said soothingly.

“Oh, yeah?” Ron started. “Well, trade me yours then, since it’ll work fine.”

“I don’t think I will.”

“Exactly.”

“No-“

They bickered for the rest of the day, Ron actually trying to get Hermione to swap wands with him, since he insisted she’d be able to do regular magic even with a broken wand. Whether Hermione found this flattering or annoying, it was hard to tell. Those two facial expressions often blurred together when she was talking to Ron.

**

Three days before their final exam, Professor McGonagall made another announcement at breakfast.

“I have good news,” she said, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted with noise.

“Dumbledore’s coming back!” several people yelled joyfully.

“You’ve caught the Heir of Slytherin!” a girl from the Ravenclaw table squealed.

“Exams have been canceled!” Hannah blurt out, to much cheering.

“Quidditch matches are back on!” Wood roared excitedly.

Professor McGonagall waited for the students to calm before speaking. When everyone was sitting quietly in their seats, she smiled to herself and delivered the news.

“Professor Sprout had informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with us catching the culprit.”

There was an explosion of cheering, which the marauders joined into immediately. Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and wasn’t at all surprised to see that Draco hadn’t joined in. Ron, however, was looking happier than he’d looked in days.

“It won’t matter that we never asked Myrtle, then!” he said excitedly.

“Well, that’s not really true,” Hermione corrected. Ron sighed deeply, turning his head very slowly over to look at Hermione as Hannah and Harry giggled.

“Then what, o’ all-knowing being Hermione Granger?”

Hermione rolled her eyes.

“We’ve still got to go see her. We need to ask in case there’s anything we’re missing, or if we can still solve this ourselves-“

What was sure to have been a long rant was cut off quickly by Ginny, who came over and sat right next to Ron. She looked tense and nervous, and Harry noticed that her hands were twisting in her lap.

“All right, Gin?” Hannah asked good-naturedly. When Ginny didn’t answer, Ron looked over, frowning.

“What’s up?”

Ginny still didn’t say anything, but instead glanced up and down the Gryffindor table with a scared look on her face that reminded Harry of someone, though he couldn’t think who.

“Are you okay, Ginny?’ Hermione asked. Again, to no answer.

“Spit it out,” Ron said, watching her. Harry suddenly realized who Ginny looked like. She was rocking backward and forward slightly in her chair, exactly like Dobby did when he was teetering on the edge of revealing forbidden information.

“I’ve got to tell you something,” Ginny mumbled, avoiding all of their eyes.

“What is it?” Harry said. Ginny looked as though she just couldn’t find the right words.

Hermione put a comforting hand on her shoulder as Ron asked, _“What?”_

Ginny opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Harry leaned forward and spoke quietly, so that only Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Hannah could hear him.

“Is it something about the Chamber of Secrets? Have you seen anything? Someone acting oddly?”

Ginny drew a deep breath and began to speak, but, at that exact moment, Percy appeared, looking tired and worn.

“If you’ve finished eating, I’ll take that seat, Ginny. I’m starving, I’ve only just come off patrol duty.”

Ginny jumped up as though she’d been electrocuted, gave Percy a frightened look, and scampered away. Percy sat down and grabbed a mug from the center of the table.

“Percy!” Ron said angrily. “She was just about to tell us something important!”

Percy choked into his tea.

“What sort of thing?” he asked, coughing.

“I just asked her if she’d seen anything odd, and she started to say-“

“Oh… that… that’s nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets,” Percy said at once. Hannah and Hermione exchanged a look.

“How do you know?” Ron asked, his eyebrows raised.

“Well, er, if you must know, Ginny, er, walked in on me the other day when I was… well, never mind… the point is, she spotted me doing something and I, um, I asked her not to mention it to anybody. I must say, I did think she’d keep her word. It’s nothing, really, I’d just rather-“

They’d never seen Percy look so uncomfortable.

“What were you doing, Percy?” Ron said, grinning. “Go on, tell us. We won’t laugh.”

Percy didn’t smile back.

“Pass me those rolls, Harry, I’m starving.”

As Harry handed them over, Hermione leaned forward.

“Should we go and check on Ginny, make sure she’s okay?” she asked the others. Percy, who had gone to take a bite of his roll, set it back down on his plate.

“Oh, I’m sure she’s fine, honestly-“

“She didn’t seem like it,” Hannah piped up. “She seemed like she’d seen something really disturbing-“

“No, no,” Percy said briskly. “I’m sure she’s fine, just give it some time.”

The others backed off, still looking suspicious.

“If you say so,” Ron sighed.

**

While the marauders knew that the whole situation might be solved tomorrow without their help, that did not stop them from carrying the map and the cloak around with them wherever they went, just in case they got a chance to slip away from the teachers and get to Myrtle. 

To their delight, a chance came, midmorning, when they were being led to History of magic by Lockhart.

Lockhart, who had so often assured them that all the danger had passed, only to be proved wrong right away several times, was now wholeheartedly convinced that it was hardly worth the trouble to see them safely down the corridors. His hair wasn’t as sleek as usual; it seemed he had been up most of the night, patrolling the fourth floor.

“Mark my words,” he said, ushering them around a corner. “The first words that will come out of those poor petrified people’s mouths will be ‘it was Hagrid’. Frankly, I’m astounded Professor McGonagall thinks all these security measures are necessary.”

“I agree, sir,” Harry said, making Ron drop his books in surprise, and Hannah and Hermione look shocked for a second, then proud as they caught on.

“Thank you, Harry,” Lockhart said graciously while they waited for a long line of Hufflepuffs to pass. “I mean, we teachers have quite enough to be getting on with, without walking students to classes and standing guard all night…”

“I imagine that’s very hard for you, sir,” Hermione piped up, not looking like she had to force her sympathy much.

“Yes, yes,” Lockhart answered dramatically. “It’s no laughing matter, really-“

“That’s right,” Ron said. “Why don’t you leave us here, sir, we’ve only one more corridor to go-?“

“You know, Weasley, I think I will,” Lockhart said. “I really should go and prepare my next class-“

And he hurried off back down the corridor from which they’d come.

“Prepare his class,” Ron sneered after him. “Gone to curl his hair, more like.”

Hannah ran forward to Parvati and Lavender before they walked off, tapping Parvati on the shoulder, which of course meant she had both of their attentions.

“Keep everyone in line, yeah?” Hannah whispered. “We’ll be back,” she added, pointing over her shoulder to Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Parvati and Lavender grinned.

“You got it, babe,” Lavender replied before turning around and barking orders at the rest of the class. “All right, everyone, the hot man’s gone to powder his nose, let’s all form a circle, Muggleborns in the middle, no not me, I know how to throw a punch, let’s walk, come on now-“

The small group of four turned a separate corner, leaving the class under Lavender and Parvati’s care. Hermione took out the map as they walked to make sure the coast was clear, and pretty soon she gasped, pushing them all into a broom cupboard just as Professor McGonagall turned down their corridor. They stood as still as possible, not even daring to breathe as they watched her walk past their cupboard and then turn a corner at the end of the hall.

They stepped out of the closet once the coast was clear.

“That was close,” Ron sighed, looking around in relief.

“Yeah, it was,” Harry said.

“Never mind that, we need to get going and talk to Myrtle,” Hermione snapped. “If we get there soon enough, we might be able to sneak back into History of Magic before the bell rings.”

 _“That’s_ what you’re worried about?” Hannah said, astonished as they ran down the hallway towards Myrtle’s bathroom with Hermione in the lead, holding the map.

“I’m missing notes!”

“Oh, bloody hell-“

They made it to Myrtle’s bathroom in a matter of minutes, and swung the door open before running inside and slamming it behind them. But someone else was in the room beside Myrtle… someone they hadn’t expected.

 _“Ginny?”_ Ron asked, dumbfounded.

Ginny was standing next to one of the sinks, straight-backed, and facing forward. Hannah’s heart skipped a beat as she looked over and was able to see Ginny’s reflection in the mirror. She looked like she was in a trance, her eyes stared without seeing and her mouth hung open slightly. It was terrifying.

“Ginny?” Hermione said steadily, walking slowly over to her friend. Hannah reached over and grabbed Hermione’s hand, pulling her back into the rest of the group. She let Ron walk forward instead, cautiously. They’d all seen Ginny’s reflection in the mirror by now and were equally scared because of it, but Ron’s worry for his little sister outweighed his fear.

Myrtle was floating above the scene giggling to herself, but they paid her no mind.

“Ginny? What’s wrong?” Ron asked in almost a whisper as he walked closer and closer. Finally, Ginny moved, causing everyone else to jump. Her body seemed to give a shiver and she opened her mouth to speak.

“Open,” she said, but only Harry understood her. The rest heard a jumble of strange hissing noises before the tap Ginny was facing began to glow brilliant white and spun around in a circle, causing the sink to move slowly into the ground, leaving a large pipe exposed. A pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.

No sooner did the others have time to process this than did Ginny take a step forward and plummeted down the pipe, her red hair sticking straight up as she fell.

_“Ginny!”_

_“Ron, no!”_

Ron had taken the pipe at a run, falling after his sister. Harry dove without a second's hesitation, and then Hannah ran after, still holding Hermione’s hand as they lept into the pipe. Hannah’s heart dropped as Hermione’s scream filled the tunnel they were zipping down at top speed, and she reached over and pulled her friend into her chest, feeling an overwhelming amount of guilt for bringing her down there. Hannah should’ve let go of her hand… a Muggleborn in the Chamber of Secrets… but there had been no time.

“I’m sorry,” Hannah whispered. Hermione didn’t seem to have heard her. She was a bit preoccupied with the feeling of rushing down an endless, slimy, dark waterslide. They could see more pipes branching off in all directions, but none as large as theirs, which twisted and turned, sloping steeply downward. They were falling deeper below the school than even the dungeons.

Hermione had been worrying about what would happen when they hit the ground for some time, but luckily the pipe leveled out at the end, and she and Hannah shot out with a wet thud, landing right on top of Ron and Harry, who had been struggling to get to their feet.

“Ouch!”

“Shit, sorry-“

They rolled off one another and stood, wiping slime off their robes as they looked around. They were in a giant black tunnel, the walls of which were covered with thick goo. While this was unpleasant enough, they weren’t given much time to dwell on it. Ron was still focused on Ginny, who seemed far more composed than the other four and was already a good few feet ahead. Fortunately, Ron’s legs were long.

He reached her in a matter of seconds, grabbing onto her arm and trying to pull her back. She yanked her arm back against him, stronger than she’d ever been but Ron didn’t seem to notice. He continued to pull while yelling,

“Ginny, what the bloody hell is wrong with you?!?! It’s not safe here-“

“RON BACK UP!”

Hannah’s warning shout was too late, and the others reached Ron just in time to see the soft light that had been coming from Ginny’s skin expand slightly and lash out. Ron’s body flew back several feet and he hit the wall, knocking his head against it very hard.

_“Ron!”_

Hannah, Hermione, and Harry ran to him, Hermione in the lead, bending down to prop him back up against the wall. He’d been knocked out cold. Harry reached around to the back of his head to feel where he had struck the wall, and drew his hand back shakily. It was covered in blood.

“Oh no,” Harry said numbly, his voice thick with guilt.

“Stop it, he’s okay, look, he’s breathing,” Hannah panted, putting a hand on his chest to feel the slow rise and fall of his breaths. She withdrew her hand in time to look back around to see Ginny continuing her walk down the dark tunnel.

“She’s been possessed, or something…” Hermione mumbled, voicing the other’s thoughts. “I don’t know what to do,” she sobbed, “we can’t leave him like this.”

“We have to go help Ginny, she’s going to walk straight to the Basilisk with no help,” Harry rambled, sounding panicked and confused. Hermione took a deep breath as she continued to hover around Ron.

“Okay, okay,” she breathed. “You two go and help Ginny, I’ll stay with Ron.”

“We’re not leaving you-“ Hannah started immediately but Hermione cut her off.

“You must,” she snapped. “Ginny needs your help and we can’t leave Ron on his own. I’ll wait for you here. I have my wand.”

Hannah did not look convinced in the slightest, but Harry was already shaking his head.

“Come on, Hannah,” he said quietly, grabbing her hand. “Let’s go.”

Hannah remained still, staring down Hermione, who was glaring back just as hard.

“Go,” she ordered. Hannah huffed before standing shakily and holding Harry’s hand more firmly.

“Fine,” she snapped. “Keep your wand.”

“I will.”

Taking a shaky breath, Hannah allowed herself to be turned back around to where Ginny was headed. Together, hands squeezed tight, Harry and Hannah took off down the dark tunnel, following the sound of Ginny’s light footsteps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Leaving On A Jet Plane by John Denver (but the version they're playing is a cover by Peter, Paul and Mary).  
> sorry i'm a couple hours late, school comes first <3


	30. Princes of the Universe - Year Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quoting from the Chamber of Secrets

“I understand you’ve all been through quite an ordeal. But I need you to start from the beginning- wherever the explanation for this ordeal begins, that is- and tell me all that happened after.”

In the small circular room that was Minerva’s office, Harry, Hannah, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had taken the seats drawn up for them and were sitting facing the desk where Dumbledore sat. Around them were the Grangers, Remus, Minerva, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. The parents hovered around their children protectively whereas Minerva stood behind Dumbledore, looking down on the kids with a mingled expression that seemed to be made of half relief and half anger. 

Harry glanced over at Hannah for comfort and found she was staring down at her thumbs in silence. Remus’s hand was on her shoulder, squeezing tightly as he looked up at his daughter's face, amber eyes full to the brim with worry. Harry looked back up at Dumbledore, wishing his own father was there to hold his shoulder while he tried to explain what he’d done. As he did, Mr. Weasley stepped over and placed a hand on his head, ruffling his hair slightly in an attempt at comfort. 

“You’ve got nothing to worry about, Harry,” Mr. Weasley said gently. “I’m sure Professor Dumbledore won’t be punishing you. You did save our Ginny, after all-?”

He broke off in a questioning tone. Dumbledore smiled slightly, his eyes twinkling before he gave a slight nod. Relieved, Harry took a deep breath and began to speak. 

He told them everything. Talking for nearly a quarter of an hour, he repeated all the events of the year to the silent room of people. He told them about hearing the disembodied voice, how Remus had helped them with putting the pieces together of the monster being a snake, how Hermione had found the description of the Basilisk in the library, how they’d guessed Moaning Myrtle had been the victim of the Basilisk so many years ago, how they hadn’t been able to get away and interrogate Myrtle for weeks and how they’d taken the opportunity the second they could. 

Harry got up to explaining how they’d seen Ginny act in the bathroom and he faltered. He had so far avoided mentioning Riddle’s Diary- and Ginny. He looked over to see her standing with her head on Mrs. Weasley’s shoulder, tears coursing down her cheeks. 

What if they expelled her? Riddle’s diary didn’t work anymore… how could they prove it had been him that made her do it all?

He turned back to look at Dumbledore who, as if he could read his exact thoughts, smiled faintly before saying,

“What interests me most is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny when my sources tell me he is currently hiding in the forests of Albania.” 

Relief flooded through Harry’s body like warm fire; he exchanged a look with Hannah who smiled weakly at him. 

“W-what’s that-?” Mr. Weasley said in a stunned voice. “You-Know-Who? Enchant Ginny? But Ginny’s not… Ginny hasn’t been… has she-?”

“It was this diary,” Harry said, picking it up off Minerva’s desk where he’d laid it and showing it to Dumbledore. “Riddle wrote in it when he was sixteen…”

Dumbledore took the diary from Harry and peered keenly down his long, crooked nose at its burnt and soggy pages. 

“Brilliant,” he said softly. “Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen.” 

He turned around to the parents, all of whom looked flabbergasted, all except for Remus, who seemed to be working a bone in his jaw in an attempt to stay silent. If Dumbledore noticed this he didn’t acknowledge it, and instead opened his mouth to speak. 

“Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school… traveled far and wide… sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he held no resemblance to the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here.” 

“But, Ginny,” Mrs. Weasley said. “What’s our Ginny got to do with… with… him?” 

“His d-diary!” Ginny sobbed. “I’ve b-been writing in it, and he’s been writing back all year-”

“Ginny!” Mr. Weasley said, shocked. “Haven’t I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself _if you can’t see where it keeps its brains!”_

Hannah flinched at the statement and Remus frowned for a second before realization hit and his face cleared. 

“It’s okay,” he whispered to his daughter, who looked up at him, confused. Remus smiled warmly and Hannah gave a weak nod before looking back at her lap. He was probably just thinking about the situation they were in now. He had no idea about the map, she thought to herself. 

“I d-didn’t know,” Ginny was crying. “I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it-”

“Miss Weasley should go up to the hospital wing right away,” Dumbledore interrupted in a firm voice. “This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than her have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort.” He stood and strode over to the door and opened it. “Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up,” he added kindly. “You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She’s just giving out Mandrake juice- I daresay the basilisk’s victims will be waking up any moment. There has been no lasting harm done, Ginny,” Dumbledore finished. 

Mrs. Weasley led Ginny out, and Mr. Weasley followed, still looking deeply shaken. 

“I think that maybe this is not the best time for explanations, Professor,” Remus said as the door shut. He got to his feet and met Dumbledore’s eye. “These kids deserve rest just as much as Ginny does, don’t you agree?” 

“I do agree,” Dumbledore said politely as he walked back over to the desk, “but I require further explanation for what happened inside the Chamber.” 

The Grangers, Minerva, Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Hannah all looked back and forth between Dumbledore and Remus as they spoke. 

“I imagine you could get the exact same story when you wake them tomorrow,” Remus retorted, his calm voice laced with a bit of irritation. 

“Perhaps not,” Dumbledore said. “It would be best to do it now. You may take your daughter to the hospital wing, if you wish. Miss Granger and her parents along with Mr. Weasley can join you. But I do need this information from Harry, if he is willing-?”

“I’ll tell you, sir,” Harry said eagerly. Anger flashed in Remus’ eyes and Minerva cleared her throat and stepped forward. 

“I’ll escort everyone to the hospital wing and tell the kitchens to send you two a plate of food, Albus,” she said in a flat tone. Dumbledore smiled. 

“Make it a feast!” he exclaimed. “I believe it is warranted.” 

“Does this mean we’re not in trouble?” Ron blurted out. Hermione shushed him but Dumbledore chuckled. 

“Well, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules.”

Ron’s mouth fell open in horror, Harry made a choking sound, Hannah stood up out of her chair, and Hermione winced and closed her mouth, like she was preparing herself to accept the situation. 

“Albus-” Remus started, placing a hand back on his daughter’s shoulder to keep her from speaking. Dumbledore just chuckled again. 

“You didn’t let me finish!” he said, smiling at them all. “As I was saying, this just goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words. The four of you will receive Special Awards for Services to the School and… let me see… yes, I think four hundred points to Gryffindor.” 

Ron went bright pink, Harry stared at Dumbledore like he didn’t believe his ears, Hannah’s mouth fell open as Ron’s had before, and Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth. 

“You may be off now,” Dumbledore said. “All except for Harry, that is.” 

The Grangers and Ron headed towards the door and Hannah went to do the same. Remus hesitated for a moment then gave a resigned sigh and followed his daughter. 

“Oh, Remus,” Dumbledore called as he made to step out the door. “It seems we, once again, have an empty teaching position. Upon being told of Miss Weasley’s disappearance, Gilderoy decided to ah… take leave. His whereabouts are unknown and I am out a Defense teacher for what seems like the millionth time. I hope you will be willing… next year-?” 

Remus’s chest puffed out despite himself. Hannah and Harry exchanged a thrilled look. 

“Of course, sir,” Remus said. “I’d love to.” 

“Excellent,” Dumbledore beamed. “I’ll have Minerva go over the details with you.” 

Remus just nodded and backed out the door, closing it behind him as Hannah stared at him in shock. 

“Well… I hope you won’t mind me being around a bit more-” 

“YOU’RE GONNA BE MY TEACHER!!!!!”

**

In the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey bustled around to each of the children in the beds while their parents talked. The kids had all been covered head to toe in grime and had been forced to shower before stepping anywhere near the beds. Now, squeaky clean and exhausted, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Hannah sat in their separate beds, talking despite their fatigue. The victims of petrification had been leaving the wing as they’d entered, something Ron had groaned about at the sight of Mrs. Norris trotting back around the castle. 

Hermione was very excited about Remus’ new job and had talked to him for quite some time about what kind of curriculum he’d be following. He’d skirted around questions for a while before Jean Granger had told Hermione to lay down and sleep. Of course, now Hermione was just talking to Hannah. 

“-not that I won’t miss Professor Lockhart, but I am glad that we’ll be getting more of a… um…”

“Class?” Hannah suggested with a grin. 

“Oh, shut up.” 

They both watched Madam Pomfrey wrap Ron’s head wound up in silence. Hermione had gotten him up by the time Harry, Hannah, and Ginny had come walking back down the dark hallway. 

“Was it scary?” Hermione asked in a whisper. 

“Yes,” Hannah whispered back. “Thought my heart might jump out of my chest, honestly. Wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t… well if it wasn’t for Harry.” 

“What happened?” 

Hannah gave a drawn-out sigh. 

“Do we have to talk about this right now?” 

“No, of course not.” 

Just as the words came out of the mouth the doors to the Hospital Wing swung open, and Harry marched in, a shy but happy look on his face as everyone greeted him. 

“How are you feeling, love?” Mrs. Weasley asked from across the room. 

“I’m all right, really-”

“Why have you only got one sock on?” Ron interrupted. The others looked down at Harry’s feet to see that the ends of his trousers had been rolled up and he, indeed, only had one sock on. Harry opened his mouth to explain just as Madam Pomfrey came back in and interrupted him. She tossed him a pair of clean pajamas. 

“Shower. Now. You’re filthy.”

No one could argue with that so off Harry went, walking awkwardly in his one sockless shoe. 

With Harry confirmed safe and sound, the other parents started to filter out. Jean and Augustus Granger were the first to leave, after repeatedly telling Mr. Weasley that they both had work the next day, and had only skived off out of fear for their daughter. They left after saying goodbye to Hermione and arranging plans for her and Hannah to see each other over the summer. 

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley left after Harry came out of the shower, as they'd both wanted to say their goodbyes to him before leaving. As Mrs. Weasley wrapped Harry in a tight hug, Remus walked over to Hannah’s bed and sat down next to his daughter.

“I’m going to head home as well,” Remus said, speaking softly as he pushed a lock of hair out of Hannah’s face. “Think you can manage not to break any essential school rules in the next week?” 

Hannah grinned. 

“I’ll try.” 

“Mm, how comforting,” Remus said with a roll of his eyes. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead before standing up and looking at Harry, who was standing behind him, waiting to talk to Hannah. Remus smiled. 

“I’d say keep her out of trouble but it seems you like it just as much as she does.”

Harry smiled, revealing the two further pronounced canine teeth in the front. The smile of someone who just had to be up to no good. Remus’s heart lurched. He looked so much like James…

“I think that all the four of us want is some quiet for the next week,” Harry said smoothly. Remus’s heart lurched again. Lily. 

“I second that,” Hermione said, voice muffled slightly by her pillow. Remus chuckled slightly before reaching over and patting Harry on the shoulder. 

“I’ll see you soon. You must come over sometime. Hermione is staying the first week of summer since she’ll be in France for the rest of it. We’ll get you away from the Dursley’s when we can.”

Harry beamed at him. 

“I can’t wait.”

Remus smiled and walked away, waving a hand behind him. 

“Bye, dad!”

“Bye, Professor!”

Harry’s addition caused the others to break out in giggles, and Remus left the hospital wing to many variations of “bye, Professor”, grinning ear to ear. 

When the door shut behind him, Harry sat down on Hannah’s bed, still laughing to himself. The two friends smiled at each other for a second before Harry grabbed Hannah’s arm and pulled it forward, rolling up her sleeve to touch the small scar that had formed on her forearm. It looked like someone had put a cigarette out on her arm, but they both knew what it was from. 

“You saved both our arses back there,” he said softly. Hannah snorted. 

“It was you that pulled the sword out of the hat, I just got to handle the basilisk because you were too busy trying to pull Ginny out of the way. It was a stupid idea to try and move her…”

She broke off at the last part, her voice cracking slightly. Harry looked up and saw she had tears in her eyes. 

“Don’t cry,” he said stupidly. He still wasn’t very skilled with the comforting aspects of friendship. “I-it was an instinct. To protect her. And it's not like I had any idea what I was doing either. I mean, there’s no preparation for stuff like this. We don’t run fire drills at school for what to do when a giant man-eating snake is coming at you. They don’t make classes for stuff like this.”

“I wish they would,” Hannah grinned. “Might come in handy for us. If we’re going to get ourselves in some shit every year.”

Harry returned the smile. 

“Maybe next year will be better. No snakes or stones.”

“Yeah,” Hannah said quietly. “Just new classes and my dad in the school at all times. If anything keeps us out of trouble, it’ll be that.” 

“Definitely.”

A silence fell over the pair. Harry had just noticed that holding Hannah’s arm had somehow turned into holding her hand, and was about to pull back when she spoke again.

“Harry?”

“Yeah?”

“What’s a fire drill?” 

**

The Hogwarts Feast after the return of the year’s victims was spectacular. In celebration of everyone’s previous struggles, Dumbledore had ordered the feast to be started immediately, and everyone turned up in their pajamas, rubbing sleep out of their eyes and grinning despite themselves. The victims of petrification had the best time out of them all, stuffing their faces with food and giggling uncontrollably. Justin Finch-Fletchly even came over to the Gryffindor table to shake Harry’s hand and apologize endlessly for suspecting him. Harry, predictably, gaped and mumbled incoherently at the praise as Justin beamed. When he walked away, Harry turned to his friends,

“Nice bloke, in the end, wasn’t he?” 

“Still a prat if you ask me,” Ron said through a mouthful of chicken. 

“Oh, give it a rest, Ronald,” Hermione scolded. Hannah and Harry just laughed, their bellies and hearts full from the feast.

At about half-past three Hagrid showed up, clapping Harry and Ron so hard on the shoulders that they were knocked into their bowls of trifle. After a long, booming thank you, Hagrid walked away to stand by the door with his plate until Dumbledore, from across the room, conjured him up a chair. 

Hannah watched him with large amber eyes filled with curiosity as he sat down.

A million questions ran through her head. What if he’d spoken to Sirius? Would Sirius have asked about her? Would he have even remembered her at all? She’d never been in contact with someone who’d been inside Azkaban before. She felt a deep desire to go and speak to him, interrogate him on what he knew. But at the same time she wasn’t supposed to want to know Sirius… was she? He was terrible. There should be no desire-

“All right there, Pads? Little quiet.”

Hannah tore her gaze away from Hagrid to answer Harry. 

“I’m all good. Exhausted, that’s all.”

“Same here,” Ron piped up. “I’m about ready for bed. Wonder when he’s gonna end this thing…”

Ron’s question was answered just moments later when Dumbledore stood to announce the winner of the House Cup (Gryffindor, for the second year running) and bid them all goodnight. But not before McGonagall rose from her seat and announced that as a school treat, all exams would be canceled for the first through fourth and the sixth years, seeing as the O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts had already taken place the week before. 

“Oh, _no!”_ Hermione cried, one of the only sad voices out of all of the cheering. 

Dumbledore then announced the greatest news yet, sending the entire Great Hall into fits of applause. 

“And… I regret to inform you… Professor Lockhart has decided to leave his post as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. All further classes of the subject are now canceled, and we will have a bright and shiny new teacher for you all next year.” 

Harry could see Snape sitting up in his seat eagerly, and exchanged a grin with Hannah. He wouldn’t be taking that post.

With Remus over their shoulder at all times next year, nothing, not even Snape, could mess it up. It was going to be spectacular. 

**

The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal. They spent almost every night skirting around older kids in the common room as loud, rambunctious Gryffindor parties were thrown, laughing at the fact that Draco’s father had been sacked as a school governor, and the boy didn’t seem to have many quick-witted insults as of late. 

The last night of term, the marauders sat piled up into one couch instead of their usual four armchairs, as they had been taken by older students, and Hermione had convinced Hannah not to say anything about it. Loud, blaring music echoed around the room, fortunately something that they could all sing along to since one of the older students had borrowed Hannah’s record player. Squished in between pillows, the four friends hummed along to one of their favorite tunes. 

_‘Here we are, born to be kings_

_We're the princes of the universe_

_Here we belong, fighting to survive_

_In a world with the darkest powers’_

“Harry!” a voice piped up from behind their chair. 

“Oh, bloody hell,” Ron mumbled under his breath as Colin Creevy came running into view, camera swinging madly on his chest. 

“I didn’t get a chance to say at the feast, and it’s been hard to find you lately-” Harry coughed and Hannah giggled. Playing ‘hide-Prongs-for-his-sanity’ had become a new game whenever they saw Colin turn a corner in the halls. “but thank you so much for saving everyone!”

“Oh- er, Colin-” Harry stuttered. 

“Don’t be bashful, Potter,” Hannah laughed before making fake doe-eyes at him. _“Thank you for saving us.”_

“Shove off,” Harry said, rolling his eyes. It was like Colin hadn’t even noticed the interaction. 

“Do you want me to have another go at a picture, Harry?” Colin asked breathlessly. “You could go stand by the window or-”

“No!” Harry said, looking around at his friends. “Take it here. The four of us.” 

“Of course!”

Colin stepped in front of the couch and flashed his camera at the four friends. Ron shook his head like he had water stuck in his ear. 

“Dunno how muggles do it,” he complained. “Almost blinded me.”

“Can I have a copy of that, Colin?” Harry asked. 

“Sure! I can get it by tomorrow morning before we leave! I’ll even use the spell to make it move!”

“Thanks a million, Colin.”

As he ran off, they settled back down on the couch next to each other. Hannah sighed as she rested her head on Ron’s shoulder. 

“I almost don’t want to go home,” she said. Harry laughed. 

“Yeah, almost is the word.”

The other three looked up at him with sad smiles. 

“We’ll get you out of there soon enough, mate,” Ron said fiercely. “I swear it.”

Harry smiled as he sat further back into the couch cushion. 

“After seeing you fly a car at my window… I believe it.” 

_‘Born to be kings, princes of the universe_

_Fighting and free_

_Got your world in my hand_

_I'm here for your love and I'll make my stand_

_We were born to be princes of the universe’_

**

The next morning they were greeted by Colin handing over four copies of the picture from last night, which surprised but pleased them all a great deal. Especially Harry, who had no real pictures of his friends to take home. Harry, who was not a hugger in the slightest, even gave Colin a quick hug- something they all giggled at on the ride home. Colin had turned a bright tomato-red, much to Ron and Hannah’s delight.

On the way to King’s Cross, they all bunked up with Fred, George, and Ginny, and spent the last few hours they were permitted to use magic to play Exploding Snap, set off the last of Fred and George’s fireworks, and practice disarming each other. Harry was getting quite good at it. 

They were almost at King’s Cross when Harry remembered something. 

“Ginny… what did you see Percy doing, that he didn’t want you to tell anyone?”

“Oh, that,” Ginny said, giggling. The others smiled. It was nice to see her happy again after the events of the past year. “Well… Percy’s got a girlfriend.” 

Fred dropped a stack of books on George’s head. Hannah let Ziggy’s cage fly open and had to grab him and stick him back inside before he ate Scabbers. 

_“What?”_

“It’s that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater,” Ginny said. “That’s who he was writing to all last summer. He’s been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them _kissing_ in an empty classroom one day. He was so upset when she was… you know… attacked. You won’t tease him, will you?” she added as an afterthought. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” said Fred, despite the fact he was looking like his birthday had come early. 

“Definitely not,” George said, sniggering. 

The Hogwarts Express slowed and finally stopped. 

In the haze of unloading trunks and pets, they all said their hellos- to the other parents- and goodbyes- to each other. 

Hermione slipped in the car after Hannah, both girls taking the backseat as Remus shut away their trunks. When he got in the car, Hannah leaned forward. 

“Can I turn on the radio, Dad?”

Remus smiled. 

“Of course you can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song is Princes of the Universe by Queen  
> A/N: So I'm happy to be back and I'm sorry it's such a short chapter. I don't want to overshare but I do want to explain so I'll just say- I struggle with depression and it's very hard for me to write sometimes, but I am back, and I'm excited to start third year. Thank you to everyone who stayed patient and reached out to me, I love writing this fic and I love interacting with you all. Longer chapters on the way, I'm still coming around.


	31. You Can't Always Get What You Want - Summer of Year Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *CW*  
> as I write more from Sirius' POV there will be a good bit of profanity. if you don't like that sort of thing- I don't really know how you would've made it this far but- here's your warning.

Remus drove down the long, winding dirt roads leading to the Lupin cottage while Hannah and Hermione sat in the backseat, chatting happily over the sound of the radio. He smiled to himself as Hannah laughed particularly hard at something Hermione had said. It was such a beautiful laugh. It sounded nothing like his, or Sirius’, or Marlene’s… it was perfectly her own. He loved that laugh. And he had missed his daughter. Maybe the summer would be a good time for them to talk more. Thirteen was coming up, after all. Remus dreaded the day when Hannah would get moody and not talk to him at all. According to Andromeda, it happened with all teenagers. You just had to push through the rough years, and never let them know how much you missed them.

_‘I saw her today at the reception_

_A glass of wine in her hand_

_I knew she would meet her connection_

_At her feet was her footloose man’_

Remus hummed along to the music as he drove, softly tapping his long fingers on the steering wheel absentmindedly. He’d been doing all right… for him. Besides missing Hannah, he had been relatively happy as of late. What with looking forward to the new job and seeing Andromeda regularly there hadn’t been much to dampen his mood. Besides, of course, the small heart attack he had suffered when Minerva notified him that his daughter and Harry had disappeared right after an ominous message was written on a wall in what looked like blood. But that had just been a red herring, and now his heart rate was back to normal, and he’d seen Harry and had his daughter right in the back seat. Hopefully it would be a good summer.

_‘No, you can’t always get what you want_

_You can’t always get what you want_

_You can’t always get what you want_

_But if you try sometime you find_

_You’ll get what you need’_

They rolled into the driveway and Hannah and Hermione jumped out, halfheartedly pretending they were going to help with their trunks before Remus magicked them up to Hannah’s room. Then they both took off to the backyard, bickering slightly. Remus smiled as he locked the car. Apparently, Hannah had finally convinced Hermione to ride the bike with her, which was a very big deal- according to Hannah’s letter. He walked around to the backyard and watched his daughter pull the bike out of its shed and roll it towards the gate. Hermione was watching with her arms crossed, glancing over at Remus every now and then for reassurance.

Remus smiled as his daughter pushed the bike made for someone two times her size right past him and flung a leg over. He then sighed as she beckoned Hermione over.

“Absolutely not,” he said over his shoulder as he walked over to the shed where the bike had been resting. He heard Hannah huff impatiently behind him. “You will take both of these,” he said as he pulled Hannah’s helmet off a hook and grabbed a spare one from inside one of the boxes lining the walls. Securing it on both girl’s heads seemed to make Hermione relax a bit more.

“You know you don’t have to ride it, right?" Remus said warmly to Hermione as he helped her with the bottom buckle. "I’m a grown man and I wouldn’t get on that thing if you paid me.” 

“I said I would,” she answered simply as the buckle clicked into place.

“Are you coming, M- Hermione? I’m going either way,” Hannah called from behind the gate. Hermione flashed Remus a tired expression before running out of the gate to hop on the bike behind Hannah. Remus walked over in time to see his daughter and her friend shoot off into the dirt road, Hermione squeezing Hannah’s waist tightly. Remus grimaced sympathetically. Hermione’s facial expression didn’t leave one wondering whether or not she was enjoying herself. The poor girl looked like she was watching her life flash before her eyes.

“Be careful!” he called after them as the bike caught air over a small bump in the road. He heard Hermione’s terrified shriek and Hannah’s happy whooping as they flew for half a second and then touched back down. “Please don’t kill your friend!”

They were too far down the road to hear him. Remus stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet as he watched the bike until it disappeared from his line of vision. He then walked back into their house, trying to think of what he could make for dinner that all of them would enjoy.

They came back in about thirty minutes later, which was relatively short compared to the long hours Hannah normally spent on the bike when she came home. It was clear why this time had been so much shorter, though. Hannah had a wide grin seemingly stuck to her face while Hermione looked very grumpy, fussing with her hair to get it to sit right again on her head.

“She pinched me!” Hannah exclaimed as they entered the kitchen. “We hit a big bump and she bloody pinched me! Look!”

She walked to Remus and pulled her shirt up over her back to reveal a large red welt where Hermione’s fingers had been.

“I thought I was going to fall off!” Hermione said defensively. Hannah giggled as she turned back to Hermione.

“There was no chance of you falling off. We were barely three inches in the air.”

“In the air. _In the air_ , Hannah. We were _in the air_ on a giant motorcycle,” Hermione stressed. Hannah rolled her eyes.

“That’s the point though, isn’t it? It’s fun.”

Hermione shook her head vigorously as she sat down at the dining room table. Hannah joined her at the seat across.

“I don’t understand you at all,” Hermione said dramatically. “Never again. Never. I don’t know how you convinced me to in the first place.”

“Oh, don’t be like that- “

_Ding!_

Both girls looked at Remus as he reached over and turned the oven off.

“Frozen pizza?” he said, slowly opening the oven.

“Excellent,” Hannah grinned.

“There’s no meat- right?” Hermione piped up. “Like on it anywhere, even the slices I won’t eat. It can’t be cooked in the same air- “

“You are so _picky,”_ Hannah said, disgust in every syllable.

“I don’t eat meat.”

“Oh? I hadn’t heard.”

“There’s no meat,” Remus interrupted with a smile. “Just cheese.”

Hermione stuck her tongue out at Hannah.

They ate in the living room with the T.V turned on, Remus flicking through channels as the two girls shouted out what they wanted to see. Eventually, they settled on a movie and finished the whole pizza together before it was over.

Hermione slept on the same mattress Harry had used when he’d been at the Lupin’s for Christmas, as the girls were much bigger than they’d been the last time they shared a twin bed. They fell asleep very late, staying up and chatting happily. Remus smiled to himself in his own room. He could hear the mumbles through the walls but couldn’t make out any clear words except the occasional giggle.

“Your room is still so _bright,”_ Hermione whispered.

“I know,” Hannah frowned. “I want to get rid of a lot of it.”

“Oh, don’t! I like it, it’s very colorful.”

“Yeah, that’s the problem. I want it dark.”

“Why on earth would you want that?”

“Because I’m dark.”

Hermione snorted and Hannah cracked a grin.

“What? You don’t think I’m dark? And mysterious?”

Hermione cackled loudly and Hannah shushed her.

“Sorry, sorry- “Hermione said, stifling her giggles. “I just think the only person who thinks you’re dark and mysterious is you.”

“That’s rude, you know,” Hannah retorted as Hermione broke back into giggles. “I’m like the definition of mysterious.”

“The first-ever conversation we had you talked very loudly about a mole you had on your leg and how you were afraid it would mess with your school robes.”

“It was a valid concern,” Hannah said. “It’s a big mole… look-“

“Get your foot out of my face!”

“I’m trying to show you the mole! Touch it!”

“Ew, no!”

“Wuss,” Hannah snickered as she pulled her leg back up into bed. Hermione flipped her one finger but Hannah couldn't make it out in the dark so the conversation fell flat and they sat in silence for a few moments.

Hermione cleared her throat before speaking.

“You know if you’re worried about… what I know about your Dad… I’m not going to say anything.”

Hannah sighed, eyes wide open in the dark.

“I’m not worried, ‘Mione. I trust you with it. But he can’t know you know.”

“Right, got it. I won’t say a word.”

“Okay.”

The silence broke in again as Hannah turned around to face her wall.

“Goodnight, Moony.”

Hermione shifted down into her blankets.

“Goodnight, Padfoot.”

**

The next day, Remus started teaching. Hermione would be leaving for France in just a few days, and the main reason her parents were letting her stay at the Lupin’s for a week was that Remus knew a good bit of French and Hannah had volunteered him to teach her. So they sat at the table together, Hermione asking Remus how to say certain terms and then jotting them down, and Hannah entertaining herself on the living room floor with Gizmo.

“So how would I say, ‘how are you’?”

“Comment vas-tu.”

Hermione scribbled in her notebook.

“And ‘excuse me’?”

“Just pardon.”

“Right.”

She still wrote it down.

“And what if I wanted to say… ‘where can I exchange money’? Just in case my parents need to, you know.”

“Er… right,” Remus said, flicking through old notes he’d made years ago. “I’m not sure… to be fair I only learned French for-“ he cleared his throat. “I don’t remember much of it. I’ll see if I can find my old French to English dictionary tonight and I’ll try to make sure my pronunciation is right.”

“Okay,” Hermione said cheerfully. At that moment, Hannah walked back into the kitchen, balancing Gizmo on her shoulder.

“Are you done yet? I want to go outside.”

Hermione rolled her eyes.

“You can go by yourself, right? I was going to ask your Dad to help me with some summer assignments.”

Hannah pulled a face.

“No… I was thinking we could just play keeper and chaser,” she said skeptically. “Why are you already doing homework? You have all summer.”

“I just wanted a chance to work on it with a teacher,” Hermione answered.

“That’s all right, Hermione,” Remus said, smiling slightly at the comment about him being a teacher. “We have all week. You should go outside.”

Hermione huffed but agreed and followed Hannah to the backyard where they set up a few makeshift goals. Hermione used Hannah’s old broom and tried scoring against her friend with the quaffle. Hannah tried not to get disappointed when Hermione dropped the large burgundy ball for the fifth time in a row. It wasn’t Hermione’s fault she was shit at quidditch. Or that she’d rather start on assignments on their first day of peace even though she’d have all summer to complete them.

Hannah liked school just fine but she thought there was a fine line between tolerable school and suffocating school. Hermione seemed to prefer the suffocating option which didn’t sit very well between the two of them. It actually made Hannah miss Harry and Ron. Miss Harry particularly… at least he could toss a quaffle.

The rest of Hermione’s stay went on like that. She’d work on homework with Remus, who seemed to enjoy helping her so much that he made Hannah start on her summer homework as well. Which, of course, was not ideal. 

It became clear on the third day that Hermione was trying to wipe out all her homework so she’d be able to spend her time in France free of assignments. And while this made Hannah feel a little bit better with trying to understand her friend’s obsession with school work, it still did not make the fact that she had to sit at the dining room table with Hermione for hours upon hours okay.

She left on the next Wednesday, packing her stuff in the morning with Hannah’s help. She seemed to have finished the bulk of her assignments, which made her happy. Hannah had finished most of her things as well but… the fact that she'd had to _do_ them. Disgusting.

She’d definitely been better about schoolwork before. It was weird that she didn’t want to do it as much now… maybe it had something to do with getting on the quidditch team. She had other priorities and absolutely _no one_ to practice with. As she grabbed a few of Hermione’s clean clothes from the washroom, she wondered if asking her Dad about staying a few days with the Weasley’s would be all right. She knew Ginny wanted someone to practice with as well. Apparently, her brothers hardly ever let her play with them, which made Hannah almost as mad as Ginny was about it.

Hannah and Remus drove Hermione to the airport where she met her parents just outside. The girl was practically shaking with anticipation for her trip. She’d already told Hannah all about how she planned to take notes on the different landmarks they saw.

After hellos to Hermione’s parents and then goodbyes to Hermione, Hannah and Remus began the drive back to their cottage.

“Hey, Dad?” Hannah said after a few minutes, reaching over and turning the radio down. Remus raised his eyebrows in recognition. “Do you think I could stay a few days at the Weasley’s?”

Remus smiled.

“Didn’t get enough practice in, huh?”

“Not nearly enough,” Hannah responded with a grin. “Hermione’s great but she can’t catch a ball even with her feet on the ground.”

“Well,” Remus said, sighing slightly. “What if you wait a few weeks? The moon is two days after your birthday- you’ll have to leave anyway… “

“Oh yeah!” Hannah said, trying to make it sound like she hadn’t completely forgotten. “We should do that then.”

“Right,” Remus said wanly. It was painfully obvious that it had slipped her mind but he didn’t want to let her know he’d noticed. He didn’t even really want her to remember those dates… after all.

“So, tell me about school,” he said, a swift subject change. “Besides all that uhm unpleasantness.”

Hannah grinned before answering, “It’s okay. Not much happened besides that, really. Being on the team was fun.”

“Yes, you told me so in your letters,” Remus smiled. “I meant like what other stuff.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Remus said, cracking a grin. “I remember second year was when everyone started to uh… notice each other.”

“Ack, Dad!” Hannah replied, hiding a smile.

“Oh, so not you then, huh?” Remus laughed. “It’s all right if you haven’t, I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it all.”

“I’m perfectly content,” Hannah said. Remus looked over and saw her face was bright red.

“So… no one then?” He asked innocently. Hannah giggled.

“All right like, one person. But it's not that big of a deal.”

“Do tell.”

Hannah rolled her eyes.

“Fine… she’s a year above me. Her name is Ophelia.”

Remus nodded, duly noting the use of ‘she’ and ‘her’ pronouns. It didn’t really surprise him much.

“Her name is Ophelia, you say?”

“Yeah.”

Remus hummed happily, “To be or not to be: that is the question.”

Hannah looked at him like he was crazy and Remus grinned.

“You’ll read Hamlet eventually. It’s a bit much for you now.”

“Nothing is too much for me,” Hannah retorted.

“Mhm, I’m sure,” Remus rolled his eyes. “Well, go on. Tell me about her. I’ll be teaching her soon anyway.”

“Shit, I didn’t even think about that,” Hannah groaned.

“Language,” Remus scolded. “Just tell me the basics.”

“She’s… tall,” Hannah started. “And she’s in Slytherin. She doesn’t like Malfoy, which is good. And she has long hair.”

Remus snorted.

“You don’t know much about her, do you?”

“Well, she’s pretty.”

They both laughed for a little bit until Remus broke it off and patted Hannah on the shoulder.

“I know you probably weren’t too worried about me not accepting you,” he started and Hannah gave him a small smile. “but I do. And whatever sex you end up liking will always be okay by me. I just want you to know.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Hannah said, studying her fingers for a moment before looking up at him. “Thank you… though. Thank you.”

“Of course, cariad,” Remus smiled.

“I think boys are all right too, you know,” Hannah piped up. “Just none at school.”

Remus laughed again.

“That sounds about right. I don’t think I noticed boys for a while when I was in school.”

“You don’t think?” Hannah repeated.

“Well,” Remus sighed, gripping the steering wheel. “It was a lot more difficult for me. Not much exposure to things like that and I noticed girls as well so I just sort of… didn’t think about it.”

“Oh,” Hannah said, looking back down at her hands. “That’s sad.”

Remus smiled at his daughter, “It’s over. And I’m happy I get to raise someone who isn’t going to have the same problem.”

“I can’t even imagine,” Hannah said, shaking her head. Remus just kept smiling, extremely giddy in the fact that his daughter was indeed not going to struggle with the suppression he had. It felt amazing, being able to pass something as big as that on.

“So,” he said, his voice full of happiness. “If you don’t know much about Ophelia why do you like her?”

“I dunno,” Hannah said, frowning slightly like she hadn’t thought about it much. “I just sort of do.”

“Yes… I suppose sometimes it happens like that,” Remus smiled. Hannah reached over and turned the radio back up, leaving the two of them to spend the rest of their car ride singing along with one another.

**

A few weeks later, Remus and Hannah sat at their dining room table over breakfast. They’d spent their past few days together just as Remus had wanted them to; staying up late, making dinner, watching movies. Remus had even gone outside with Hannah to help her practice with quidditch, where he surprisingly stayed on the broom for the majority of the time (his balance wasn’t what it used to be). 

They’d been doing very well together. He’d convinced Hannah to do the rest of her homework with him so she’d be free for the rest of the summer, specifically to celebrate her thirteenth birthday, which was arriving very quickly. Unfortunately, the full moon was coming up as well and Remus was growing tired. As it was only a few days away he could still function just fine but, the noise level from Hannah had been brought down quite a bit. 

“Paper’s here,” Hannah said brightly as she got up and walked over to the window to let the large delivery owl fly in. It gave her an appreciative hoot and few to sit next to Ziggy on his post, taking a sip of water as Hannah took the paper from his feet and stuck a few coins in the small bag around its leg. 

“Do you want it?” Hannah asked Remus as she sat back down with the Daily Prophet. Remus shook his head no, completely immersed in a thick book on the four Latin conjugations. Why he wanted to learn a dead language was beyond Hannah, so she unfolded the newspaper herself and began to read. 

“Oh, wow!” she said after a few seconds, “Ron’s in here! He told me about the trip to Egypt but I didn’t think he’d make the paper.”

“They won the Grand Prize Galleon Draw,” Remus shrugged. “Figured they’d be in it. Good thing, too. I was starting to think it was rigged but, if anyone deserves all that money it's the Weasleys.” 

“True,” Hannah responded. 

After a few more minutes of scanning the front pages, her mouth fell open in shock. 

“You’re in here too!” she exclaimed. 

“What?” Remus said, pausing to look up from his book in confusion. 

“Dumbledore must have announced he’d found a new Defense teacher!” Hannah explained excitedly. “Some lady wrote an article about you, look! It’s got your picture and everything!” 

“Mhm, no thank you,” Remus said, pushing the paper away as Hannah tried to hand it to him. “I don’t even want to know what picture they used.”

Hannah rolled her eyes and took the paper back, looking it over for a few seconds before cocking her head and asking, “Dad, what’s nepotism?” 

Remus reached over and grabbed the paper from his daughter. 

“Oh, bloody hell,” he mumbled under his breath as he looked over the article. 

**_DEFENSE AGAINST NEPOTISM_ **

_Beloved Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Albus Dumbledore announced just today the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. The position had been left empty by none other than Gilderoy Lockhart, who has not been sighted since his leave. According to Professor Dumbledore, the job will be filled by a wizard named Remus Lupin, a ragged but kind-looking man with no prior teaching experience (pictured on left)._

Remus made himself stop reading to look over at the picture they’d attached of him. Someone must have taken it on Platform 9 ¾, for he was standing on the platform with his hands in his pockets, rolling on the balls of his feet like he always did when he was looking for something. In the picture, Remus’ face lit up as a small blur that was Hannah ran at him and embraced him in a hug. Remus watched his picture-self lean down to hug her back as the image restarted. Picture-Remus stood by himself on the platform with his hands in his pockets again. 

Making a noise of disgust, Remus went back to reading the article, hardly aware of Hannah’s head resting on his shoulder as she read too. 

_But despite his humble appearance, this new Professor seems to have ulterior motives. His daughter Hannah (mother deceased, pictured on right), will be attending Hogwarts for her third year after summer break. While Dumbledore has assured the press that there will be no favoritism between father and daughter, the situation leaves parents of other Hogwarts students uneasy._

_The question is, how will Hannah Lupin’s peers be treated in comparison? Will the next years of her schooling become a cakewalk for the Professor's daughter? How will the other children of the school get ahead when one student has such an unfair advantage? Only time may tell._

_Written by Rita Skeeter_

Hannah reached over and moved Remus’ hand to see the other picture they’d attached. Her mouth fell open once again.

Stuck to the right-hand corner was the picture Colin Creevey had taken of Hannah and the other marauders just weeks ago. They were all piled up on the same couch, arms flung around each other with large grins on their faces. At the bottom of the image they were labeled, along with a submission thanks that made Hannah raise her eyebrows. 

_Pictured, left to right: Hermione Granger, Hannah Lupin, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley. Photo credentials to Ronald Weasley._

“I’m gonna bloody kill him,” Hannah grumbled as she sat back down. 

“Don’t bother, I doubt he knew what the article was going to be about,” Remus said casually, picking his book back up. “Rita Skeeter tends to get carried away with her works.”

“You’re not angry?” Hannah asked curiously. Her father’s calm demeanor was slightly unnerving. Remus just grinned at her, which didn’t help his case. 

“Not at all,” he said cheekily. “This means I can give you _more_ work than everyone else.”

Hannah groaned and stuck her head in her hands. 

**

Sirius grunted as he picked himself off the floor. He’d had another abrupt transformation from dog to human when his ears had pricked up at the sound of human voices. Ever since Hagrid’s stay he’d been drained, spending as much time as he could in dog form and sleeping for days on end. His switch from dog to human had happened just in time for a dementor to pass, which of course knocked him back into his worst memory… again. He was almost getting bored of hearing himself sob. 

He propped himself up against the wall and tried to relax as much as he could with his head pounding. He’d seen a flash of something interesting before he’d blacked out… the man the dementor had walked by with had been holding that day’s copy of the Daily Prophet. If, when the man passed his cell, he could convince him to give it to him… well that would be an almost endless source of information. He was desperate to know what was going on in the world after days upon days of staring at a stone wall. Plus he missed doing the crossword. 

He heard the human voices again and straightened his back against the wall, purposely making it so that he was uncomfortable. He was determined to stay awake against the dementors' powers over him long enough to get the paper, so he rubbed his eyes hard and tried to center himself, making every pore reject the cold as he felt it grow nearer and nearer. 

Finally, the source of the voices made it to his cell, and he saw two men, flanked by one dementor, talking to one another in urgent whispers. Sirius probably could’ve been able to make out what they were saying if he wanted to, but he didn’t care very much. The only thing he wanted was the paper that the shorter of the two men was holding clutched in his fist. 

“Excuse me?” Sirius croaked as they passed. The short man jumped violently and looked around for the person who had spoken, then seemed to grow even more terrified when his eyes fell on the source. Sirius just leaned his head against the wall, trying to look bored and awake. The dementor behind them was growing colder by the second, seemingly sensing the energy Sirius had at the moment. 

“W-w-what do you want?” the short man stuttered, looking on the verge of wetting himself. Twelve years ago the sight would’ve been comedy gold to Sirius, but now all he saw was an advantage. 

“If you’re done with the Prophet I’ll take it,” he said, trying to put as much command into his voice as he could. “I miss doing the crossword.”

“Er- all right,” the man said, tossing the paper between the bars of Sirius’ cell instead of handing it to him as if he was afraid of touching Sirius’ fingers.

Sirius picked up the paper as the two men scurried away. The dementor with them paused by his cell for a second before following behind, obviously trying to take as much energy as it could before leaving. Sirius took a deep breath as his vision cleared again. Fucking dementors.

He flipped open the paper and scanned the first few pages. A wizarding family had won the Grand Prize Galleon Draw. They were still doing that thing? It had always seemed rather dumb to Sirius. No one ever _actually_ won it. No one who needed it, anyway. 

Reading further revealed that the family was none other than the Weasley’s. Sirius frowned, a faint recognition rising in the back of his mind. Gideon and Fabian… had a sister who had done a little bit of work for the Order. And she’d been married to… Arnold. Alex? It was an A name. And he’d been a Weasley. 

Merlin, that’s a big family, Sirius thought to himself as he looked down at the photograph attached. How many kids? Two… four… what was-

Sirius shot to his feet and almost fell over. Had he really seen… there was no possible way. He’d lost his spot in the paper and began to rip through it again, unattached pages falling off his hands as he searched for the image he’d just seen. 

One of the papers that had fallen to the ground caught his eye as he tossed the rest around. A moving picture on the front of it distracted him, making him lose his spot in ripping up the newspaper as he looked to the ground and squinted at it. It looked like an ordinary man, but there was something familiar about the way he was standing. Rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, hands in his pockets…

Sirius dropped to his knees and reached for the paper with shaking hands. He watched in awe as the picture-Remus’ face lit up and a child charged him, rushing into his stomach and making him laugh before he bent down to hug the kid back. The image restarted before Sirius could get a good look at his daughter, and he sat there, eyes wide and spilling with tears as he watched Remus stand and wait by the platform. He was so fucking beautiful, even in a picture like this. Sirius felt like his heart was going to burst, and picture-Hannah only made it worse by coming into the picture and running at picture-Remus. He examined every inch of her that he could see, determined to know what she looked like. 

Jet black hair, a little bit past her shoulders. Her face was- 

The image restarted. He watched it again. 

Remus had new scars. He was standing rather stiffly on his left leg. 

Hannah entered the frame again. Her face was bright and happy. He caught a glimpse of her smile, it looked just like Remus’-

The image restarted. He watched it again. 

It was black and white, so he couldn’t see the color of Remus’ hair. A breeze in the picture tossed his curls up a little bit, and Sirius strained his imagination trying to remember what he smelled like. 

Hannah entered the frame again. He saw this time that she was rather lanky, with long skinny legs that still hardly managed to get her very far up into Remus’ hug. 

Remus had always been tall… had he always been that tall? He was bending over... it was hard to tell-

The image restarted. Sirius watched it again. And again. And again. Each time he tried to notice something new, and each time he felt a tugging sensation in the back of his head, like he was trying to remind himself of something important. 

But Sirius didn’t care. This was the most important thing. Memorizing this… how they moved, how they looked. This was all he was ever going to do. Eventually, his head cleared enough for him to read the article, which made even more tears fall down his face as James’ teasing voice rang in his ears. 

_Come on, Professor Moony, use that big, sexy brain of yours! What’s the worst that can happen?_

More tears fell upon reading “mother deceased” next to Hannah’s name, but eagerness won over when he read “pictured on right”. He scanned the bottom right of the article section and his stomach dropped. She was there… he could see her whole face… she looked just like Remus when she smiled and looked over at… James? No. That was impossible… that was Harry. God, it was uncanny. 

He didn’t know how long he spent flitting between the two images to see Remus, Hannah, and Harry but it was growing dark outside his cell by the time he grew aware of his situation. His eyes flitted over to the boy on Harry’s right and he stopped, suddenly remembering what he’d been looking for. He found the original paper in a matter of seconds, less panicked and more focused than he had been before. 

He spread the paper out and looked at the moving image of all the smiling Weasleys. He found the same boy that sat next to Harry in the other picture and traced his finger along the small rodent that sat on his shoulder. He stared at the rat for a very long time, feeling very _very_ different emotions than he’d felt when staring at his family. 

When darkness fully covered the night sky Sirius finally looked up from the photograph, silver eyes full of rage and determination. He balled up his new possessions and stuck them in his mouth before transforming into his dog form and trotting over to the bars of his cell. He pushed at the bar next to the lock with his nose. It buckled slightly. He’d known it would, he’d noticed it when he’d sat on the bars while talking to Hagrid. Why he hadn’t escaped right then… he didn’t really know. Too much information and too much pain to process. Now he had enough information and enough pain to spurt him into action, and he pushed at the bar until his head slipped through. The rest of his body followed easily, and he was done. 

He ran through the hall as fast as his legs would take him, growling when the other prisoners raised their voices at him. He made it to the staircase of his hall and jumped down it without pausing, paws slapping the cement. He passed several dementors but wasted no time in seeing if they could sense him- he just ran down the stairs until he got to a height where he could jump into the water below. 

He didn’t hesitate once he reached a ledge. Sirius Black never did hesitate, after all. He flung his canine body off of the ledge and into the dark water below, submerging himself in the thick current for a few moments before he popped back up above the waves and began to swim. 

He didn’t know how long it took him. An hour, maybe. At the least. All he thought of through those long minutes was Peter Pettigrew, and how close the filthy fucking traitor was to Harry and his daughter. He’d be sharing a dormitory with Harry when they headed back to school, no doubt. He had absolutely no time to waste.

He hit the shore shaking, transforming into human form and taking deep, clear breaths for the first time in years. He looked up at the sky and saw the moon, nearing its full. 

Sirius turned to his side and spat the wad of papers he’d kept in his mouth out on the sand before promptly falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is You Can't Always Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones


End file.
